1. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:14-17) The foundation of Faith lies on the authorized preaching whose mission is to make known Gods word. This authoritative preaching as the basis of faith entails a mission. A mission on the part of those who are privileged to preach Christ. But the dilemma lies on the reception of the message being preached which is always be the case. Hence, there are two movements here that we have to take notice; on the part of the preacher and on the part of the recipient. Since faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ, the challenge therefore is how this message being effectively manifest on the part of the preacher and of the recipient. Perhaps, this still today the challenge. The content of the preaching is so reach and yet its richness depends on the one who will preach it and the recipient of it. 2. As a result of this evangelical command, whatever other reasons can be brought to bear on the desirability of preaching, the Church has the responsibility of preaching the word of God whether it is convenient or inconvenient (2 Tm 4:2). 3. The Church has received from the apostles as a task to be discharged even to the ends of the earth this solemn mandate of Christ to proclaim the saving truth (cf. Acts 1:8). 4. “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1:28-29) 5. “But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”(1 Corinthians 1:23-24) 6. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.(Mark 16:15) 7. Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.(2 Timothy 4:3-4) 8. When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.(Acts 2:1-47) 9. What we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” ( 2 Cor 4:5). It gives us the idea that in preaching it is Jesus Christ we proclaim taking no personal credit to the preachers. With this, preachers have to bear in mind the central message of what they proclaim, Jesus Christ himself. The preachers act therefore as instrument of God for his message to reach the people whom he loved. This must be clear because there is a greater tendency to make oneself being preached instead of Jesus Christ - self-proclamation rather than the proclamation of Jesus Christ. That is why Paul clearly stated this statement to show that proclaiming is an act of man with his personal credit but on Jesus Christ who is the content of the proclamation. 10. Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ” ( Rom 10:17). -The experience of faith starts with the hearing of the word of God. For Paul this hearing is a submission or commitment of the whole person to God in Christ. This hearing may be materialized in to the process of receiving the content to be heard, proclaiming it to be heard, and finally the reception of what was heard. The process is very crucial. Failure to have an effective process of it may lead to bad reception of faith since the process of communicating faith was hindered in the process. That is why greater necessity must be given to the clear and effective process of the reception of faith from its content/message, proclaimer/sender, and receiver. “the faithful… expect much from preaching, and will greatly benefit from it, provided that it is simple, clear, direct, well-adapted”.158 2. The preacher also needs to keep his ear to the people and to discover what it is that the faithful need to hear. A preacher has to contemplate the word, but he also has to contemplate his people. 154 The preacher should have to discern the signs of time. As preacher, it is very important to know the purpose and relevance his preaching in the life of the Church and of the people of God. He has to know his audience, the context, and the their needs. By addressing those needs, he has to come in contact with Gods word in prayers and contemplations. His preaching must have to be anchored and founded in the word of God. In doing so, Gods message may be communicated to the people through the preachers proclamation. This is how demanding the ministry of preaching is. That is why the ministry of preaching must not be neglected and taken for granted in the Church and christian way of living. 3. Christ’s message must truly penetrate and possess the preacher, not just intellectually but in his entire being. 151 4. Whoever wants to preach must be the first to let the word of God move him deeply and become incarnate in his daily life. In this way preaching will consist in that activity, so intense and fruitful, which is “communicating to others what one has contemplated”. 150 The preacher must be the first one to be convinced of what he is to preach. The word of God which he contemplated must be incarnated and seen in his own life. He also have to share it to the people of God in preaching and any other activities that would communicate Gods word especially to those who hunger and thirst for it. But above all, it is the factor of Preachers witnessing Gods word that would effectively draws people into communion with God. That is why the call for witnessing not just on the part of the preachers but more so with all people of God is the call in todays generation. 5. The preacher “ought first of all to develop a great personal familiarity with the word of God. 149 7. A preacher who does not prepare is not “spiritual”; he is dishonest and irresponsible with the gifts he has received. 145 - 8. Preparation for preaching is so important a task that a prolonged time of study, prayer, reflection and pastoral creativity should be devoted to it. 145 In preaching, preparation is a very crucial part. Investment in time, effort, sacrifice, prayer and reflection is a must. A familiar quotation states that You cannot give which you do not have. From this principle, greater need to equip primarily the preacher with all the necessary things before engaging to this ministry of preaching. This is a painful process because you have to sacrifice more and more. That is why passion and love in preparation to this ministry are essential the ingredients. This is always in this context in communicating Gods message of love that the preacher became privileged to be a vessel and instrument of God so that this love may reach to the people whom he loved. 9. The Lord truly enjoys talking with his people; the preacher should strive to communicate that same enjoyment to his listeners. 141 10. When preaching takes place within the context of the liturgy, it is part of the offering made to the Father and a mediation of the grace which Christ pours out during the celebration. This context demands that preaching should guide the assembly, and the preacher, to a life-changing communion with Christ in the Eucharist. 138 11. The preacher must know the heart of his community, in order to realize where its desire for God is alive and ardent, as well as where that dialogue, once loving, has been thwarted and is now barren. 137 12. The homily cannot be a form of entertainment like those presented by the media, yet it does need to give life and meaning to the celebration. 138 13.Let us renew our confidence in preaching, based on the conviction that it is God who seeks to reach out to others through the preacher, and that he displays his power through human words. 136 14. The homily can actually be an intense and happy experience of the Spirit, a consoling encounter with God’s word, a constant source of renewal and growth. 135 15. Proclaiming the Gospel message to different cultures also involves proclaiming it to professional, scientific and academic circles. This means an encounter between faith, reason and the sciences with a view to developing new approaches and arguments on the issue of credibility, a creative apologetics 109 which would encourage greater openness to the Gospel on the part of all. 132 16. Today, as the Church seeks to experience a profound missionary renewal, there is a kind of preaching which falls to each of us as a daily responsibility. It has to do with bringing the Gospel to the people we meet, whether they be our neighbours or complete strangers. 127 17. “there can be no true evangelization without the explicit proclamation of Jesus as Lord”, and without “the primacy of the proclamation of Jesus Christ in all evangelizing work”110 18. evangelization as the joyful, patient and progressive preaching of the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ must be your absolute priority.”110
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 01:59:27 +0000