Colm Fitzpatrick
Silvester O'Flynn Personal profile
Colm Fitzpatrick learns about the power of the homily
Although homilies at Mass can sometimes sound repetitive or even boring, one Capuchin priest is offering helpful tips on how to make the homily more interesting and thought-provoking.
Cork-born Fr Silvester O’Flynn is well known for his reflections on the three cycles of the Sunday Mass readings and has this year published a book entitled Homily Hints and Prayers, in response to being frequently asked for reflections on the daily Mass readings as well as Prayers of the Faithful arising from the Gospel.
Fr O’Flynn, who was ordained in 1966, and has more than 50 years’ experience of preaching, believes the homily is one of the most important parts of the Mass, allowing parishioners to understand the Word of God and how they can apply it to their own lives.
“People who come to weekday Mass like to get a thought or inspiration for the day. There is no better source than the Good News brought by Jesus,” he said.
“It is said that a priest who breaks the bread but does not break the word is only half a priest. The Liturgy of the Word is not complete without a homily.”
He explained that the Sunday homily is very important to him, and is the principal contact with people for the week. He begins his preparations on the Tuesday before Sunday Mass, and “plants it in his imagination somewhere in the background”, allowing it to develop over the next few days.
He describes our modern times as “the age of the catchy soundbite”, as the attention span of people has been radically reduced having been invaded by the distracting noises of technology. Despite this, he maintains that the homily still has the power to be well received.
Effective
“Nonetheless, the spoken word has the potential to be very effective,” he said.
As a result of this, Fr O’Flynn believes that the homily should be concise and direct, such that the Word of God can be heard and understood by everyone.
“Pope Francis has taken to heart the advice of Blessed Paul VI to be simple, clear, direct and well adapted. Use simple language that anybody can understand. Have a clear message that can be summarised in one short sentence. Tell people what you are going to say, then say it to them and finally tell them what you have said,” he explained. “Direct means getting straight to the point with no waffling. Well adapted involves connecting the Word of God with the lives of the listeners,” he added.
Fr Flynn’s inspiration for his homilies comes in part from advice Pope Francis received as a young priest by an experienced preacher who said that a good homily should have an idea, sentiment or image.
“An idea for the mind; a sentiment or feeling to reach the heart; and an image or story to capture the imagination,” Fr O’Flynn said. “The Gospels tell us that Jesus spoke to the people in parables because he knew that everybody loves a story. A story lives on in the memory and it might be much later when its application strikes the listener.”
He added that the homily is in some ways similar to showbusiness, in so far that you have to grab the person and that stories are able to grab the imagination.
This is vital for Fr O’Flynn who maintains that the homily is not some form of inconsequential jargon but actually allows for the possibility of people to hear the Word of God.
Pope Francis called the homily “a living dialogue between God and his people”, he explained.
“The task of the preacher is to facilitate that dialogue by revealing the connection between the inspired Word and our lives. So, the preacher has to spend time absorbing the Word as well as being aware of the lives of the listeners. Jesus looked at people, he had compassion on them and then he spoke to them,” he said.
Once the homily has been heard, a personal response is needed, ideally going forward into action. It is in this way that homily can have a concrete impact in people’s lives.
“Very recently Pope Francis said that the Word of the Lord ends its journey becoming flesh in us, translating itself into action, as it happened in the lives of Mary and the saints,” Fr O’Flynn explained.
“He added that if we listen to the Good News we will be converted and transformed by this, and consequently be capable of changing ourselves and the world.”
Fr O’Flynn’s Homily Hints and Prayers offers two short reflections on the daily Gospel Readings. Each reflection can be read in two or three minutes and is written for preachers who need some word or image that will trigger their own thoughts into action. Hence, these reflections are called hints. It is also ideal for parishioners who take leadership of alternative prayer services, providing great support to their reflection, discussion and prayer.
Silvester O’Flynn’s new book Homily Hints and Prayers is now available from bookshops or from www.columba.ie for €19.99.