“This does not seem right to me”: when a priest uses someone else’s homily

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:56 pm by Deacon Greg Kandra

“This does not seem right to me”: when a priest uses someone else’s homily 2015-03-13T16:56:21-04:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I received the following e-mail this morning:

Dear Deacon Greg:

Today during Mass our pastor read your homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, with hardly a word changed and without acknowledging that someone else had written it. This is at least the third time this has happened, and it appears to me that the pastor almost never writes his own homilies.

I do not want to be uncharitable, but this does not seem right to me. What I was wondering is, is this a common practice for Catholic priests and deacons? I would just like to get some sense of whether this is acceptable or not from an “insider’s” point of view. I cannot think of anyone else I can ask who might be familiar with the expectations and practices within the church.

Thanks for any guidance you can offer.

This is a subject that has come up before. Last year, I even wrote about how, personally, I don’t really mind if others use my work.

Whether it’s “acceptable,” on the other hand, is something else. (And a reader responded on that issue, too.) If you search the web, you’ll find a lot of opinions about “pulpit plagiarism.” I suspect it is more widespread that most priests, deacons, and Protestant ministers would like to admit, especially in the Age of Google. At the very least, an acknowledgement that the material comes from someplace else seems to me both honest and sensible. If nothing else, it’s truth in advertising. And it does no harm to admit, “While preparing this Sunday’s homily, I found this posting on the Internet and the writer captured what I want to say, and I’d like to share it with you,” and that’s that.

It also does no harm to admit every now and then that you’re human. A friend once told me about a priest who taught him in the seminary. After proclaiming the gospel at Mass one morning, this priest said, “I’m afraid my schedule was crazy this week and I didn’t have time to adequately prepare a homily. So let’s take a few moments and reflect on The Word we’ve just heard, and allow God to do the preaching in our hearts.” He sat down, and after a couple minutes of silence, Mass continued.

For some in the congregation, it may have been the best homily they’d ever heard.

Preparing a homily and preaching are skills that can be strengthened with practice, though they don’t come easily or naturally to everyone. A priest or deacon who is compassionate, prayerful, hard-working and holy can still be a dud in the pulpit. Maybe admitting that is a first step to better preaching.

In that regard, I’ll close with some sage advice from Rev. Alfred McBride, whose excellent book “How to Make Homilies Better, Briefer, Bolder” should be on every priest and deacon’s shelf.

He offers in his introduction the following simple tips:

Link your homily to the liturgy of the day
Make your homily relevant to the listeners
Make only one point
Start with a story
Know how you are going to end.

He goes on: “Try to preach without notes. Keep eye contact with your congregation. Use lots of examples. Say the teaching and give it a word picture. Share with your people what our life experience has taught you, but don’t concentrate on yourself. Make your homily a prayer and not a performance. Use humor wisely. Don’t look for praise. Give God the glory.”

I can’t put it any better than that.

Photo: Frank Coady

Previous Post

September 2, 2012

A first: anchorwoman appears on Egyptian TV wearing head veil

Next Post

September 2, 2012 RIP, Hal David

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Mad Men" 9/11 advent All Things New Amazing video amazing videos amazon america Anglicans Anti-Catholicism art ascension thursday ash wednesday Atheists baltimore Bible Bishops Blogging bonnie engstrom Books bridgeport Brooklyn Chaplains children christian art christmas Church Churches CNEWA Converts criticism Deacons Death Penalty easter eastern christian Eastern Christians Ecumenism Education education Eucharist Europe euthanasia Evangelization Exorcism Family Feasts Gay rights Good Friday Great links Great Moments in Journalism Hanging with the saints heather renshaw Hispanic Catholics Hispanics History homelies Homilies Humor Hymn of the Week Immigration indianapolis Inspiration Interfaith news ireland Jesus Jews Journalism Judaism lent Liturgy logos Marriage Mary Media Medical news Mental health Middle East Monks Movies Music Muslims My world and welcome to it New Evangelization new york News Nuns Parenting Parish life peoria Persecution Politics politics Pope pope francis pope john paul Prayer Preaching Priests Pro-life Quote of the day radio rebecca frech ripp Ripped from the headlines rippred from the headlines Sacraments saints Scripture sex abuse Sex abuse crisis SEX ABUSE CRISIS TAGGED WITH: SEX ABUSE CRISIS The people in the pews the visitation project theatre This & that Thomas Merton Trappists TV uncategorized Uncategorized VATICAN Vatican vocation Vocations Voices & Views Women Worth a thousand words Writing Year of Faith year of mercy young people

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was struck dead for lying about money in the early church?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Nicodemus Ananias and Sapphira Simon the Sorcerer Demas

Books by This Author Books by Deacon Greg Kandra

See All Titles »