Why are Homilies so short?

[Guest AMDG]

I was wondering why most homilies are only 8-12 minutes long? Why can't they be longer, so that the congregation actually learns something. Most homilies are so short, that you've forgotten the gist of it before you leave the parking lott.

Why are we so afraid to use the Homily to truly teach? Why not a 30 minute Homily where you can actually learn more about our Savior, our Catechism, our Scripture, etc. as a reflection of the Liturgy?

This is another reason why so many Catholics leave for Bible Churches. We do not feed our own Catholics enough with Sacred learning in my opinion. There are far more ignorant Catholics out there walking the streets saying proudly that they are Catholic than astute Catholics, and these well meaning but uneducated Catholics don't know the first thing about Jesus as their Savior, the role of the Holy Catholic church, etc. This could be a parental problem too, but let's focus on what the Priest can do with the Homily to guide the faithful flock.

Your thoughts?

In Christ,
AMDG

[magnificat]

[quote name='AMDG' date='Jan 27 2006, 04:10 PM']I was wondering why most homilies are only 8-12 minutes long?  Why can't they be longer, so that the congregation actually learns something.  Most homilies are so short, that you've forgotten the gist of it before you leave the parking lott. 

Why are we so afraid to use the Homily to truly teach?  Why not a 30 minute Homily where you can actually learn more about our Savior, our Catechism, our Scripture, etc. as a reflection of the Liturgy?
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Well, for one thing, unlike the "Bible Churches" we have something else after the homily that is just as important! Plus, I'm sure at some point, the preist gets tired of talking too, especially ones that have several Masses in the same day!
Also, I'm pretty sure that it's been shown via scientific studies that most people have an attention span of 20 min (or something close to that)...which is sometimes unfortunate, but that's how it goes (anyone else try to maintain focus while doing homework?!)
That's why there's also talks and conferences outside the context of Mass that last for 30, 45, or 60 min to more fully expound upon Scripture, Catechism, & theology. It's really a shame, however, that more people don't take advantage of those opportunities.

[alicemary]

Several points to consider:
1. the average Catholic wants in and out, they do not want a sermon much less one more then 10 minutes long. I know many people leave after 30 minutes, no matter what is going on at the altar.
2. some priests are not the best speakers. I do not say this to be mean, but it is honest.. Many have lost touch with their parishioners. Heck, our pastor has several churches he must say Mass at, no time for a sermon.

[Era Might]

I find Catholic homilies just fine. The Priest is not there to give a theological treatise. It's not a Scripture study either. It's first and foremost an attempt to highlight the daily readings, and provide a spiritual challenge for the day. The most important thing is not the length of the homily, but the message. It is not an end in itself, but a purification of the heart so that we are better disposed to receive the Holy Eucharist, and let it reveal itself in our lives.

Edited January 27, 2006 by Era Might

[Guest Rick777]

Sometimes I would like the homilies to be longer and then sometimes I wish the priest would just stop while he's ahead of himself.lol. Overall I'm a fan of a brief homily.

[prose]

[quote]Most homilies are so short, that you've forgotten the gist of it before you leave the parking lott. [/quote]

Even if you forget what you had for dinner last week, the food still nourishes you

[jgirl]

What I don't care for is when priests try to be entertaining with gimmicks like puppets or game shows during their homilies.

Sometimes homilies can be short and to the point. Sometimes they can be long and engaging. There was this one time when I was a sacristan at Thursday night Mass at FUS, and the priest forgot he was celebrating Mass. He had to preach an incredibly long homily so that he could fast for an hour before communion. That was overkill for a homily.

[Andrea348]

[quote name='prose' date='Jan 27 2006, 06:55 PM']Even if you forget what you had for dinner last week, the food still nourishes you
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oh my gosh...worded so well

[Akalyte]

My priest gives nice long homilies. I love that..

[Cow of Shame]

[quote name='alicemary' date='Jan 27 2006, 06:38 PM']Several points to consider:
1. the average Catholic wants in and out, they do not want a sermon much less one more then 10 minutes long.
[/quote]

I don't think you should base liturgical practices around people who don't really want to be at church anyway.

[Excelsior1027]

[quote name='Era Might' date='Jan 27 2006, 06:46 PM']The most important thing is not the length of the homily, but the message.
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I agree with Era Might, the message of the homily is the most important thing. Yeah, I love my priest's homilies, they're awesome, and maybe sometimes I wish they could be longer, but that's coming from someone who would really be interested. Sadly, some people would just get tired and stop paying attention. Even short homilies work; remember, God can take something seemingly small and insignificant and work wonders with it.

[Anonymous User]

Quality not Quantity is the answer...

Talk for 8-12 minutes, leave the flock with 2-3 points to consider and reflect on, and proceed to the Eucahrist.

Far more powerful than a twenty minute - plus ramble that feeds no-one.

Any Catholic expecting to gain [b]all [/b]their spiritual/biblical guidance from the homily perhaps needs to look further afield anyway...

[Theologian in Training]

[quote]I was wondering why most homilies are only 8-12 minutes long?[/quote]

Because my bishop told me if I preach over 10 minutes he would kill me

Actually, even if the priest is a dynamic speaker, and has some really great things to say, you cannot hold their attention that long. In fact, I would recommend you go to a Mass where it is known that the priest preaches very long homilies, and watch as the congregation moves from really intently listening to looking at their watches, counting the tiles on the ceiling, and even talking to the person next to them.

Also, any priest can preach a long homily, but not a lot of priests are gifted preachers. I am not saying that to be rude, or to judge them, it has merely been my own observation from watching them, especially now that I preach myself. Incidentally, you would hate me as a homilist, as I preach short and to the point. However, just because homily is short does not mean it cannot catechize or teach, and actually a shorter homily is remembered more easily than a longer homily. Case in point, I preached a homily on the Holy Name, which went for about two minutes. To this day, one woman can still recite the majority of the homily back to me, as though she had just heard it yesterday.

Also, and some may disagree with me, but preaching is different than teaching in a classroom setting. We are given readings, and the people want to know what those readings are about and what it means for them in their lives now. That is not to say we don't teach them, but we do so in a different way than it would be done had they been taking a class.

Of course, these are my own observations and things that I have thought about for a while, so you need not agree with me, but as one who has been preaching for almost a year now, those are the observations I have made.

God Bless

[JP2Iloveyou]

I think that you need to consider a couple of things.

First of all, most Catholics get most of their catechesis at their Sunday homily. This is unfortunate, but true.

Second, most Catholics want a shorter Mass.

Third, we go to Mass to worship God and receive his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The homily is an added bonus.

More could be said about preaching styles, speaking ability of priests, etc, but suffice it to say that a short homily preached well is better than a long homily preached poorly. Our people need to be fed, but first they have to know they need to be fed. Often times, people are not aware of what they are missing out on. The first step, then, is for a priest to convince his people of his love for them. Then, he can start talking in more depth about the faith. Eventually, his people will have built up enough trust in him, hopefully, that like a good college professor, they will want him to speak MORE, not less. I had a priest like this. His homilies were 25 minutes, but they were so good, so well thought out that they seemed like five minutes and I wished that he would keep going. The thing is, even Catholics who didn't really want to be at Mass loved his homilies. Granted, this is a gift not everyone is graced with, but the point is that people are more receptive to priests who are accomplished public speakers. That is why seminaries require public speaking courses. Some men can do this naturally, others need to work on it. In any event, it is crucial in a man's formation for priesthood.

[argent_paladin]

1. I don't think it makes much sense to say that you forget short homilies more easily than long ones. I would think it would be the reverse. The Gettysburg Address was short, but the most memorable speech in American history. Most people zone out after a couple of minutes anyway.

2. In comparison to Protestant services, Catholic liturgy is not all about the homily. The Eucharist and the Gospel are the most important parts. In fact, in daily mass, the homily is not required but the eucharist and gospel, of course, are. The teachings of the Church are not primarily conveyed verbally, but in all aspects of the liturgy, the prayers, the hymns, the gospel readings, etc.

3. Remember that the priest usually has to come up with a homily every day, rather than just once a week for protestant pastors. Plus they are constrained by the readings of the day.

4. Probably most importantly, there are often 5 or 6 masses a weekend, sometimes there is barely enough time to get one group out befor the other comes in. Therefore the homily cannot be overly long. But the main thing is that I think that a 10 minute homily can be better than a 40 minute one in terms of what the listener can take away.