III. PREACHING: SACRED ELOQUENCE
Humbertus de Romanis, who wrote a pace-setting book on the formation of preachers, says that the Dominican preacher must also learn from secular speakers. The preacher - it is often said - is like an architect who takes the best materials from different places to build up a building. Fray Luis de Granada advises us to know also secular rhetoric. This provides us with a good technique. Indeed, secular eloquence, or rhetoric is helpful to sacred eloquence or preaching.
Aristotle’s Rhetoric is still considered a classical book of eloquence. For Aristotle, rhetoric is the art of persuading and of being a responsible speaker. A speech is composed of three elements, namely, the logos, the ethos and the pathos: the logos is the thought of the speaker, the internal coherence of thought, his reasoning and arguing; the ethos includes wisdom, credibility and conviction of the speaker, who is honest and believable; the pathos means the appeal of the speaker to the emotions of the audience – sympathy, hope, sadness, love. All the teachers of rhetoric or public speaking give great importance to the beginning and the end of the speech. Likewise, to narrating stories: Historical facts talk, stories convince.
Sacred eloquence, preaching is not only important for us Dominicans. It is essential throughout our whole life: it is our life. As Dominican preachers, seduced by Veritas - by the Truth, Jesus Christ - we are messengers of the Truth. We are evangelizers and ministers, and preach the Word to save souls that is to save humanity through and for Christ: Contemplata aliis tradere.
Thereafter. We present first a brief comment om sacred eloquence and, second, some essentials of preaching.
- SACRED ELOQUENCE
Has preaching of the Word of God lost its vibrant traditional appeal? We live in the digital continent, a world dominated by images, twits, WhatsApp’s, live streaming, zooming, Skype, etc. Do you think that the preaching of the Word today in the XXI century still has its appeal and importance? Our preaching vocation is essential today and therefore it is our grave obligation to find new ways to preach the Good News in our digital continent.
At times, preaching is a bit irrelevant because we preachers do not do our job well. Hence the need to prepare constantly: to know the truth of God and the world to which we have to preach it: substance and relevance. We try constantly to live a good Christian life. Preaching helps the preacher be good and happy. Is preaching really important and essential for me? I hope and pray it is for each one of us. Otherwise, please, be convinced: pray, study, be converted. Otherwise, we will not be happy. Be able to say truthfully: “I have to prepare myself continually for the mission of preaching.” Therefore: read, think, study, observe people and their lives - and contemplate.
Sacred eloquence or preaching is called sacred , because the matter is sacred; because the message is divine; because the end is not only to teach, to convince, but to save souls, to reconcile people with God and with one another, to profit spiritually. Called sacred eloquence, moreover, because it is not just talking on any human subject, but on the Word of God. The art of bringing souls to Christ through the magic of the spoken word. “Everything in the sacred word is sacred, with a sacred content which we should never forget” (D. Sertillanges, Orador Cristiano, 21).
Preaching means to deliver a sermon. It is “the public, formal delivery of a sermon by a minister to a congregation.” It is a way to evangelize people and to nourish the moral and spiritual life of Christians. (Cf. Ernest Pettry, Preaching and Teaching, Manila, Philippines: ICI Ministries, Inc., 3rd #d. 20-02, 33). “Preaching is the communication of truth by man to men. It has in it two essential elements: truth and personality. Neither of these can it be spare and still be preaching” (Phillips Brooks, 19th, in Pettry, 86). It is the method of preaching the Gospel.
In NT, preaching refers (a) to proclaim as a herald (to herald the Good News message), to proclaim a message, the Gospel, and to appeal to repentance and faith. The goal was first to evangelize the lost (cf. preaching by John the Baptist: Mt 3”1-2) and later on to mature in faith and spiritually (cf. Lk 4:43; cf. Mk 16:15). It is not to pronounce a formal discourse (Pettry, 87). Preaching is not a lesson for a class or a catechesis. (Cf. 2 Tim 4:2).
In NT, preaching refers (b) to tell the Good News (cf. Acts), to evangelize (evangellizo means preach) that means to tell the Good News. Approach in Acts: “reasoning, witnessing, and testifying” - like the martyrs (Pettry, 88). Words to ponder: “Every revival of spiritual life in the Church has followed a return to the biblical concept of preaching” (Id).
- THREE ESSENTIALS OF PREACHING
Hereafter, I reflect on three important points related intimately with preacheing or sacred eloquence: what we preach, who preaches, and how to preach
- WHAT DO WE PREACH?
The Word of God is, in the first and most important way, the Verbum Dei, the Word of God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). God revealed himself to us in different ways. The Word of God is Christ: “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (In 17:3). Jesus and his word, is bread of life and reconciliation (cf. 2 Cor 5:18). “The preacher is foolish to use his own words when he can use God’s words” (S. MacNutt OP, 44). (By he way, Dei Verbum is the title of the Dogmatic Constitution on Revelation of Vatican II).
Sacred eloquence is sacred because it proclaims the Word of God, which is sacred. Hence, our continuing need to “learn” the Bible to be able to preach the Word of God through human lips. St. Paul to Timothy: “Proclaim the message, be persistent, whether the time is favorable or unfavorable, convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching” (2 Tim 4:2). The Word of God is never old but always new, always eternal, always food for thousands upon thousands of sermons and homilies.
Pope Pius XII (Afflante Spiritu): “Let them [priests] confirm the Christian doctrine by sentences from the Sacred Scriptures and illustrated by outstanding examples from sacred history and in particular from the Gospel of Christ, our Lord” (cf. The Homiletic and Pastoral Review, March 1964, 487).
Read the Bible every day. A lay person said to his pastor: “I read the Bible but I can’t remember it. My mind just won’t hold what I read.” The pastor: “Just keep on reading: a basket doesn’t hold water, but it is cleansed as the water passes through” (Ernest Pettry, 47). We meditate daily alone before God. Thus, we are cleansed ourselves little by little.
Reading the Bible, meditating on it every day is a needed constant preparation to be a good preacher. Be sure to quote the Bible when preaching. Our Christian brothers give us an outstanding example in reading, meditating and preaching the Word of God. A suggestion: read a portion of the Bible, the daily readings at daily Mass, meditate upon it, summarize its main content. Then one may – should – read good commentaries. From your classes in Sacred Scriptures, remember that the Bible is also a text that has to be interpreted according to certain exegetical norms. As a biblical text, it has to be properly interpreted (hermeneutics; hermenia - the art and science of interpretation of texts). The Word of God in the Bible is not a literal quoting of God but a text divinely inspired in a context, a particular history, a concrete culture. The text itself is the first to speak and its first interpreter. It has to be interpreted for today taking into account its literal sense first, the context and the form in which it is written: a prophetic book, an apocalyptic text, a poem, a law… (Cf. Miguel de Burgos Nunez OP, in Valero’s, 105-110).
Through your sermons, quote the Bible frequently. The Bible cannot be replaced by anything else. However, beware: do not overburden your talk with too many quotes and much less if they are not connected, and useless in this context. When we quote the Bible, we may point out the verse and chapter, but seldom: they may and do distract peoples, although we may ask the audience to remember a verse and learn it by heart. Our separated brothers and sisters are very good at this. We must learn from them.
The preacher proclaims the Word of God, and people go to listen to the Word of God, not to the preacher’s words. “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from the spirit, joints from morrows; it is able to judge thoughts and intensions of the heart” (Heb 4:12). St. Paul is grateful to God because the Thessalonians received the word of God from them and accepted it “not as a human word but as what really is, God’s word” (2 Thess 2:13).
The preacher is faithful to the Word, God’s Word, not his word, to the content. He applies the word of God to today, to this kind of audience. He communicates it in a simple language and does it move by the Holy Spirit. Remember Jesus. He reads in the synagogue of Nazareth and applies the text read: after the quote from the prophet “he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down… Then he began to say: ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’ (Lk 4:18-21). Today!
- WHO IS A PREACHER OF THE WORD OF GOD?
The preacher of the Word of God is a human person with his personality, his ideas, his convictions and faith. He is a sinner, too. He is faithful to the Word and its content, faithful to the community he preachers and knowledgeable of basic communication techniques, and moved by the Holy Spirit (cf. Manuel Ramos, El arte de la homilía, pp. 25-26).
The prophets are the great preachers who anticipated Christ. The apostles and priests are the prolongation of Christ: “As my Father sent me so I am sending you” (Jn 20:21). God has given the priests the ministry of reconciliation (II Cor 5:18). We are “Dei adjutores,” each one “alter Christus” (Gal 4:14). As preachers of the Word of God: fidelity to the Word of God, to its content (no to vain novelties and gross ignorance); and earnestness in preparing for the administration of the Word. Do not preach until you are sure you have something to say, and know just what it is; then say it and sit down.
The preacher proclaims Jesus, “the Way and the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14:6). He or she preaches the Gospel of Jesus: He is the messenger and the message. Jesus gave a command to the apostles and to us preachers: Go out throughout the world and preach the Good News to the whole creation (Mk 16:15). Our message? “The message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:23-24). Through our whole life, we struggle to follow him, to imitate him, to be one with him in our thoughts, words and deeds (cf. Eph 4:22-24). Hence, we try to live holy lives so that we will be able to see the Lord (cf. Hb 12:14).
The preacher preaches Christ: “This is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn 17:3). We proclaim the Kingdom of God. We preach the whole Christian doctrine: faith and morals. We preach especially on topics that are relevant for our time, our communities, our audiences; but beware of possible influence of the “woke” ideology (and, thus, we may be inclined not to preach of the so-called “Last Things”). We try to answer the questions of our time. We herald the power of faith, the beauty of love, refreshing words of hope. We talk of the mystery of God’s mercy and evil, of silence, compassion, prayer; of the corroding power of hatred, violence, injustice; of freedom. . . - and heaven.
The preacher does not preach himself but Christ, the word of God not his own word and opinions: The task of priests as preachers “is not to teach their own wisdom but God’s Word, and to summon all men urgently to conversion and to holiness” (Vatican II, PO, 4). Words to ponder: “It is not our ideas, it is Christ message, that we must bring to men; and no man can teach others until Jesus Christ has taught him” (W. Barclay, In Mt 17: 22-23). How true: “The preacher does not announce himself; he announces Jesus Christ… We can recall Lacordaire’s anguish before he preached certain things which were difficult for him to say; they seem to betray his own weakness, yet in fidelity to the truth he felt obliged to preach them; he prayed with tears for the courage not to dilute the truth. We announce the Word of an ‘Other’; we are ambassadors for that ‘Other’” (J. M. R. Tilllard OP, “Evangelization and the Mass Media,” Dominican Ashram [June 1987], 86)
- HOW TO PREACH?
Above all, just preach! Preaching is the method chosen by Christ: “Thus no new method is needed to advance God’s Kingdom in the lives of people. He has chosen preaching as the primary means of communicating the Gospel. You will notice that He did not use political means to build a spiritual kingdom, nor social action, nor cultural activity. For only the gospel can truly change the lives of people” (Pettry, 95). But, beware: the social gospel is part of the gospel of Christ.
St. Thomas advices us: Preach with clarity and brevity. What is better: to write the sermon and learn it by heart, or to write its outline and main ideas and then talk freely improvising the words? The latter is the style of the great preacher of the twentieth century Fulton Sheen: he never wrote a full sermon, and always thought about it for hours before he was ready to deliver it. Some learn it by heart, others read part and improvise part. Each one of us does what is suited to his personality, but let us be sure that we reach our listeners and do not bore them.
My suggestion: never read the whole sermon only; greet the people, say something, a story perhaps, looking at the people with kindness. At the beginning of the journey of preaching, write the sermon, learn it by heart, and little by little let go: be sure you are at ease with the main ideas and develop them. If you read everything, you will most probably be cold and not much connected with the audience, with your brothers and sisters patiently listening to you.
As a Dominican student, I and my classmates were admirers of two Dominican preachers: Fr. Antonio Royo Marin and Fr. Florencio Muñoz. They never read a homily or sermon, or lecture. They did prepare a detailed outline and read and meditated on the matter of each sermon. Their preaching was very much alive and moving. (Fr. Muñoz was our teacher of Homiletics. We loved him. Once I went to his room and saw that he was reading Zigliara, then a popular a textbook of theology. I was surprised and amazed. He told me: What do you think? I read theology and learn well the corresponding doctrine before I stand before an audience. As a student in Washington DC, I began to admire and love Bishop Fulton Sheen. I heard him there, and later in Manila. As a student, I had two idols: Fulton Sheen and President John F. Kennedy, also a great speaker who talked with feeling and elegance).
We read not only the Sacred Scriptures, but the whole Christian Tradition: the Bible, the Fathers of the Church, the saints, the great theologians, above all, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. The Church’s teaching is particularly significant regarding moral and social issues: abortion, violence, injustice, respect for life, etc. (Cf. Charles E. Bouchard OP, In the Company of Preachers, 196-199).
- SOME SUGGESTIONS
Never do this: read, cut, paste and then read to the audience as if it were your sermon or homily. It is not yours. It is unethical (unless you say you are substantially quoting this or that author, which is almost never done), and it will be noticed by your audience. (A doctor friend told me after listening a Dominican’s sermon: “canned sermon”) The sermon, the homily ought to be basically yours; it is your style, not the style of somebody else. It might be appropriate to use some short original expressions in Latin or Greek, but few, very few. It is a sermon or a homily, not a lesson in class.
It is always appropriate for us Dominicans to speak on preaching. Our dear Father and Founder St. Dominic of Guzman was above all a preacher: St. Dominic the preacher was never sacrificed to St. Dominic the founder and organizer (Simon Tugwell OP).
All Christians are asked by their faith to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world by words and deeds. Dominicans, in particular, are called not just to preach but to be preachers. Dominic didn’t want only that his brothers preach, but rather that they be preachers (ACGBH19, 123). Preaching is the identity of the Dominican brothers and sisters, their “identity tag” (RFP, 106). We are asked to give “absolute priority to the ministry of preaching” (ACPA17, 55), Hence, the purpose of all formation – initial as well as permanent – is “the making of a Dominican preacher” (RFG, 1). Thus, every brother or sister identifies with the words of St. Paul: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16). (FGB)