Part II, Chapter XII: Touching the Hearts of the Faithful

Touching the Hearts of the Faithful

IN ORDER to impress your hearers, put into practice what has been written in "Chapter 11' concerning the interior and exterior dispositions required and the exemplary life that you should lead. The word of God i s all the more effective when it is reflected in the life of the preacher.

Preach solid doctrine, using texts of Scripture and passages from the writings of the Fathers. Give good and convincing reasons in support of your theme and, since nothing moves more than the truth, your hearers will be won to Christ.

Observe faithfully the suggestions on pronunciation and gestures in Chapter IX.

Be assiduous in prayer and meditation. Therein you shall find food for sermons and light to understand the beauty of the Christian truths. If you are animated with the truth of what you preach, you cannot help animating others. When your heart and your mind are enlightened by the Eternal Father, you will be more able to give forth His doctrines than if you simply culled them or studied them from books. There will be almost the same difference between these doctrines as there is between raw food and well - cooked viands.

Hence St. Gregory the Great(1) and St. Thomas Aquinas(2) say that preaching should proceed from the fulness of contemplation, and that (1). De perfectis viris post contemplationem suam redeuntibus, dicitur (Ps.44)' Memoriam suavitatis tuae eructabunt (Homil. 5 in Ezech). (2). Unum quidem (opus vitae activae) ex plenitudine contemplationis derivatur, sicut doctrina et praedicatio (Sum. Theo. 1a 11ae, q. 188, art. 6).

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preachers should be as nearly as possible perfect men, filled with God's goodness, which they pour out from the fulness of their hearts.

The truly apostolic priest will need no other medium to touch the hearts of the faithful than to prepare, accompany and follow his sermon with prayer, asking God for the light to draw from the Divine Word the help he himself needs to move those to whom he speaks. Res quae in se ipsa non arserit, altum non accendit, says St. Gregory.(3) There is no heart that is so cold that it will not be inflamed by a good meditation: In meditatione mea exardescet ignis (Ps. 38, 4).

The priest being himself convinced and inflamed with the doctrine he is preaching, should pronounce with love and devotion the words of his discourse. He will not indulge in vehement language nor give vent to anger and indignation, but rather will make his sincerity and fervor manifest in his every word and gesture. Thus, his congregation will know that he speaks from a heart full of compassion and love for sinners, and that he is fired with zeal for God. His words will be like living coals which will inflame even the hardest hearts. Although the lips may speak to the ears, the heart always speaks to the heart.

He will dispose of his time so that he will be able to prepare for the divine office of preaching. Whenever he is to preach in the morning, he should allow himself enough time for. the celebration of Holy Mass. St. John Chrysostom says that the tongue which has received the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ, is a terror to the devil and is consequently a most powerful instrument to touch the hearts of hardened sinners.(4)

Before going to the church to preach, the speaker should make one last rapid survey of his topic to make sure that he is fully prepared. Consequently, he should avoid other work or conversations which might distract him. There is nothing more unbecoming than to see a priest about to speak the word of God talking frivolously with others before mounting the pulpit. It is well to kneel before the Blessed Sacrament for a few moments before the sermon and to proceed to the pulpit with his eyes cast down and his whole being giving evidence of the seriousness of what is to be done. (3). Moral. 91, cap. 28. (4). St. John Eudes does not give the reference for this statement.

Use Sacred Scripture, especially the words of the Prophets and of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which are particularly effective.

Do not be too long or yet too short. Put vigor and force into every part of the discourse, but especially in the conclusion.

After the sermon, go down from the pulpit modestly with a devout and humble deportment. 117-

Chap. CHAPTER XIII

Teaching the Dispositions Required

For Receiving the Word of God

To MAKE the preaching of the Word of God effective and fruitful, the faithful, as well as the priest, must do their part; therefore, you must teach the people how to profit by sermons. When you are going to deliver a sermon in a parish, you might first point out to the people the best methods for profitable cooperation. These may be summed up in five points:

1. Dispositions regarding the Word of God;

2. Dispositions regarding God Himself;

3. Dispositions regarding the house of God;

4. Dispositions regarding the preacher;

5. Dispositions regarding the hearers themselves

Explain these dispositions very clearly to the congregation.

1. They should have a great respect for the Word of God, and regard the assistance at a sermon, not as a commonplace act but as one of the most important and necessary for the preservation of their faith. "Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ," says St. Paul (Rom. 10, 17). The Sacred Scripture classifies those who know no God with those who lack preachers. "And many days shall pass in Israel, without the true God, and without a priest a teacher, and without the law" (2 Par. 15, 3 ) . The law of God, which is the basis of our faith, comes to us through preaching.

Make the faithful understand that assistance at a sermon is of such importance that St. Augustine compares it to Holy Communion. He assures us that the person who listens carelessly to the Word of God i s just as guilty as he who allows the Sacred Host to fall to the ground. Non minus reus erit qui verbum Dei negligenter audierit,

quem ille qui corpus Christi sua negligentia, in terram cadere permiserit. ( 1 ) .

It follows, then, that even as the Christian should not approach the Holy Table without preparation, so he should not hear a sermon without the proper dispositions. There should be a desire to listen attentively and with profit, and a fixed determination to make use of the knowledge required. There should also be the realization that one is not listening to the harangue of an orator or demagogue, but rather to the exposition of the Word of God, which is to be preserved in one's heart and practised as a sure means of salvation.

2. The faithful should realize their great debt of gratitude to God for the grace bestowed upon them i n the gift of the priest, Christ's representative, to show them the way to heaven. They should never leave the church without saying a prayer of gratitude to God for the sermon to which they have listened. If they fail to thank God for the spiritual nourishment, they are guilty, to say the least, of gross ingratitude.

3. The faithful must remember the sanctity of the church where the sermon is to be preached. They must respect and reverence it as the house of God, where noise and useless conversation are out of place. As the dwelling place of Him in whose presence the very angels tremble, nothing untoward or unseemly must be tolerated or countenanced.

4. For the preacher himself they must entertain much respect and charity. Respect for he is God's messenger and Christ's ambassador, taking the Master's place, clothed with His authority and speaking i n His name. Well, indeed, may we say that he is the instrument through which Christ Himself speaks: "For i t is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you" (Matt. 10, 20). "Christ . . . speaketh in me," says St. Paul (2 Cor. 13, 3), "God as it were exhorting by us" (Ibid. 5, 20).

Charity for the faithful must not censure or judge rashly him who is preaching, nor misinterpret his words or intentions. Charity in that they must not find fault because the preacher repeats and stresses the same truths others before him have taught. After all, there (1). Lib. L. Homiliarum, Homil. 26.

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is no better food then wholesome bread taken frequently; good medicine used continually may effect a cure; music played often brings unalloyed pleasure. Charity, not despising those preachers who, because of their mediocrity of talents, are not so forceful or eloquent as their more gifted -brethren. It should be borne i n mind that it is not the preacher half so much as the preaching which counts. Should we receive a letter from the king, we would cherish and treasure it, without considering the talents or character of the messenger who delivered it.

5. The faithful should have purity of intention, for which two things are necessary: the first is a complete renunciation of all that is not proper, for instance, to hear a sermon for amusement or pastime, out of curiosity or from some selfish motive. The second is an act of protestation to Jesus Christ that they wish to hear His word in order to learn the truths of eternity.

They should purify their conscience by an act of contrition so that nothing may hinder God's grace from operating in their souls.

The faithful must also practise humility and docility by a) dispelling any trace of vanity and feeling of superiority to the priest; b) remembering that no one is so learned that he does not need further instruction, as St. Ambrose(2) and St. Augustine(3) point out; c) recalling that the words of the priest are meant for each listener. If some vice is mentioned, let no one make the mistake of thinking the remarks are intended only for others. If perchance they have no application for particular individuals, let those favored souls thank God in a spirit of deepest humility.

The faithful should receive God's word with edification and piety. Teach them to read their prayer books while awaiting the sermon, thus using the time they are in church for their soul's advantage. When the priest has entered the pulpit, let them give all attention and respect, seeing in him the person of Christ the Saviour. They should make the sign of the cross with him, with devotion and reverence, and during the sermon proper, they should give their concentration to the priest, (2). De Officiis, L. 1, cap. 1. (3). Epist. ad Mercatorem.

banishing every profane thought or distraction. They should be taught not to turn around or gape at their neighbor, but to keep their minds fixed on the subject being treated and their hearts united to God.

After the sermon, the faithful should not leave the church without thanking God for all the benefits received from the sermon and praying for the grace to cooperate with the truths exposed; meditating upon what the priest has said, singling out certain points or passages for further reflection; beseeching Our Lord's help for the preacher, that his work on this and all future occasions may be fruitful of good. Even as one thanks ordinary teachers who instruct in profane subjects, so, too, one should be grateful to him who nourishes with the words of life. In Christo Jesu per Evangelium ego vos genui (1 Cor. 4, 15). What ingratitude would the faithful show, indeed, if after the sermon they criticize the priest, or, instead of thanking God for the help given them, merely find faults with the efforts of the preacher?

These, then, are the dispositions required that the faithful may hear the Word of God with profit , which every priest must seek to instil into them. To which I would add that the priest should preach, not only by word and example but also by prayer. At Mass, during the Divine Office and at all times, his constant entreaty to God should be that his words will be efficacious for good. Dei voci suae vocem virtutis (Ps. 67, 34). He should pray that he may be able to destroy in the minds and hearts of his hearers all that is not in conformity with the divine will, or whatever may impede the fruitful reception of the Word of God. 121-