The Remedy for a Bad Homily

We've got a couple of priests and one full-time deacon in our parish, as well as a couple of regularly scheduled fill-in priests for weekend masses. On any given Sunday you have a one-in-five chance of getting the consistently outstanding homilist. The others are average. One usually hovers close to a high average and all can hit the heights occasionally. But there are those who live in the middle and sometimes dive closer to the depths. Those depths can be pretty shallow.

Now, we're lucky because these guys aren't straying from the truth of Catholicism (as I've heard occasionally when visiting other parishes). The worst that happens is that one remains uninspired, struggling to connect with God.

I know the point of the mass is not the homily. I also know that not every homily is directed at me personally and it might be just what someone else needs to hear. However, you can't deny that a good homily goes a long way toward enriching the entire experience as well as the week to follow.

I have fallen into preparing for Sunday mass beforehand, which is a good habit no matter what kind of homily you expect. There is nothing like being familiar with the readings beforehand for allowing you to sink into them as you hear them read during the liturgy. These are often the times when you are open enough to let God in.

With all that in mind, here are a few of my favorite resources.

FIRST 

Read the Sunday readings.
You can find them at the US Bishops' website 

where you can click on the handy calendar for next Sunday. 

SECOND

Easy listening, worthwhile podcasts.
Just like a homily, let these reflections wash over you.

Word on Fire

Bishop Robert Barron's homilies

These are about 15 minutes long and come out on Wednesday usually. Bishop Barron often goes for an angle that I don't expect and which is almost always thought provoking. That makes them a perfect warm up to getting your head in the game. (iTunes link, website link)

Lanky Guys

Reflections and context on the readings

Fr. Peter Mussett and Deacon Scott Powell take listeners through the scripture for next Sunday's liturgy. They read each one aloud and dig deeper into context and background about historical, scriptural and liturgical connections. About 45 minutes long, it comes out on Thursday or Friday which gives me time to listen to it in pieces before Sunday. (website link, iTunes link)

THIRD

Read up.

The Beauty of the Word 

by Anthony Esolen

I use this on Sunday morning. Anthony Esolen focuses on the Collect, Prayer over the Offerings, Preface, and Prayer after Communion for every Mass through the year. He draws the reader's attention to connections with scripture, the Mass readings, and Christ in our lives. This is an easy and quick read each week but I find the prayers have much more meaning when I've read this beforehand. (My full review here.)

Footprints on the Mountain: 

Preaching and Teaching the Sunday Readings 

by Roland J. Faley

I read this Sunday morning. It provides scriptural background on all the readings for each Sunday (nicely divided up into A, B, and C years), as well as at least eight ideas for reflection. The background also discusses why the readings complement each other and specific insights to be found for each. Plus, this is summed up in a brief but pithy reflection on what these readings and points mean to believers. (My full review here.)

In Conversation With God 

Series by Francis Fernandez-Carvajal

I read the upcoming Sunday reflection on Saturday with breakfast. I have been using this series for about 16 years and have yet to find one that is better or more complete. It follows the daily Mass readings, but has a separate reflection for each of the A, B, and C Sundays of the year. Topics range from the sacraments and virtues to family interaction and friendship. It is both practical and inspiring. (My full review here.)


There are obviously lots more good resources out there. Magazines like Word Among Us and Magnificat are some that spring to mind. These are just what appeal to me every week.

The real key is to pick one or two favorites and prepare yourself to encounter God in His Word each Sunday. Then a good homily is a nice bonus and a bad one is easier to tolerate.

Well Said: You can't object to "cultural" apparently

"Cultural, is it?" Dr. Hopkins looked relieved. He was a man who tried to see the best in everybody but the city had gotten rather complicated since he was a boy ... He wasn't sure that he liked everything that was happening, but a lot of it was "cultural," apparently, and you couldn't object to that, so he didn't. "Cultural" sort of solved problems by explaining that they weren't really there.

Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

Worth a Thousand Words: Landscape with Coach

Hugo Mühlig, Landscape with Coach
via Lines and Colors

Well Said: When people tell you something's wrong ...

Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

Neil Gaiman's 8 rules of Writing

Worth a Thousand Words: La Grenouillère

La Grenouillère, 1868, Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Well Said: C.S. Lewis on writing The Screwtape Letters

If Screwtape was written with complete sincerity, the actual task of writing it proved to be remarkably unpleasant. "Though I had never written anything more easily," Lewis recalled, "I never wrote with less enjoyment. Though it was easy to twist one's mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun or not for long. The strain produced a sort of spiritual cramp. The world into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst, and itch. It almost smothered me before I was done.

Humphrey Carpenter, The Inklings

Worth a Thousand Words: Fireweed

Fireweed, taken by Remo Savisaar

Lagniappe: Manhandled

I don't like being manhandled, even by young women who look like something out of mythology when they're steamed up.

Dashiell Hammett, Red Harvest

Genesis Notes: Joseph Sold By His Brothers

GENESIS 37
Joseph's story is of the best known in the Bible and yet there is so much to learn that I had never considered. I like the "big picture" personal message that is there about cooperating with God's plan as He brings good out of what we see as bad things.

Joseph and His Brethren Welcomed by Pharaoh, James Tissot

It is one of the great ironies and wonders of the way God works that the very thing Evil hopes will derail His plans, turns out to usher those plans in. The rest of this story will show that what the brothers meant for ill—throwing Joseph into a pit and selling him into slavery—is the thing that God uses to accomplish what they hoped to make impossible, his reigning over them. This should remind us of the way God took the very Satan could do to Jesus and turned it into the door to eternal life, the door that Satan was trying to slam forever. In this way God uses even evil people and intentions as instruments of good. “So too,” says the Great, “when one wants to avoid the divine will, then is when it is fulfilled” (Moralia, 6,18,20).

All quotes from Genesis, Part II: God and His Family. This series first ran in 2004 and 2005. I'm refreshing it as I go. For links to the whole study, go to the Genesis Index. For more about the resources used, go here.

White Cheddar and Bacon Risotto

From Cooking Light and loaded with flavor. I've got it over at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Jeremiah and the Word of God - from Bishop Robert Barron

Bishop Robert Barron's homily for this Sunday focuses on Jeremiah the prophet and his connection to our modern life.

This one I'm going to keep for repeated listening. Not only do I love Jeremiah but the inspiration to stand up for our faith against continual secular push-back is very timely. Hear the podcast at the link above.

Lagniappe: Mr. Norrell knew there were such things as jokes ...

Mr. Norrell (who knew there were such things as jokes in the world or people would not write about them in books, but who had never actually been introduced to a joke or shaken its hand) considered a while before replying ...

Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

I just love the way that is put. I have actually met two people who have no sense of humor at all. One makes a joke or quip and they just look at you expressionlessly and then move on with the conversation. It is very disconcerting, just like meeting Mr. Norrell probably was.

Hurricane Harvey and H-E-B

When we left for Florida last week, Hurricane Harvey was threatening landfall in Corpus Christi, where my husband has relatives. Of course, like everyone at the time we were relieved to hear it was going to miss Corpus ... and then horrified at the havoc wrought upon Houston by the never ending rainfall. We were relieved to find that my husband's Houston-based relatives were not in danger but the flooding in such familiar areas is really surreal to people who know it well.

While we donate and help however we can (my charitable avenue is Catholic Charities), let's not forget the power of prayer. God will help in ways we cannot foresee.

May God, the Lord of mercy and compassion, protect all who are still in danger, and bring to safety those who are missing.

May He care in a special way for those who were already homeless, or without support and resources, before this disaster.

We pray in thanksgiving for the first responders who are risking their lives to save others at this very moment.

We include in our intentions the everyday heroes reaching out to help their neighbors in need, those who, like the Good Samaritan, cannot walk by a person in need without offering their hand in aid.

Amen.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Speaking of tangible aid, I found this video heartwarming. H-E-B is a Texas grocery store chain which is much beloved throughout the state. Certainly, I love their Central Market which is near my house. So I was happy to see how much a part of the community they are.

Ben-Hur and Me: 1957, 2016, and 1880

One thing I have discovered is that once I've seen one chariot race, I've seen them all. Luckily, there is much more to Ben-Hur than the famous chariot race.

1959 film

This is the one everyone has seen at least once. I've seen it numerous times and so have passed from wowed to blasé to appreciative over the years. Most recently I viewed it for a 2015 discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast with Scott Danielson. That was the viewing where I was suddenly much more appreciative than I've been before. Yes, it's 3-1/2 hours and Charlton Heston can be pretty stiff sometimes, but this is the one you want to watch.

Then I watched the 2016 version with Rose recently. She'd only seen this version once so I simultaneously summarized the differences between the two films while we were watching. (Just for the record, this was at her specific request.) It made me appreciate this version even more and pat myself on the back for how well I recalled the plot.

2016 movie

By itself, without knowing the story in any other way, this 2016 version of Ben-Hur is fairly forgettable. To be fair, this director is known for great action (I loved Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter — as did Roger Ebert, so don't judge me!) and not for drawing great performances from actors. (I've never seen Morgan Freeman so wooden and stilted.) And a director is hampered if the script isn't good to begin with. So Timur Bekmambetov had a lot against him from the beginning on this project.

However, viewed as a companion piece to the classic 1959 movie, this movie lends itself to interesting reflections on the nature of mercy, forgiveness, redemption, etc. Make no mistake, it does reflect modern cultural views in many ways. For example, one must ignore some of the namby pamby New-Agey Jesus statements made early on in the movie. And Messala's angsty attempts of "can't we just all get along?" are completely out of place. But it is worth seeing once for the gorgeous visuals and the way the story treats Ben-Hur and Messala's relationship.

Be warned. Worst sea battle ever. You can't tell what's going on. And Bekmambetov loves shooting night scenes in the actual dark. So at one point we thought we were watching Ben-Hur sneaking around in a garden at night to meet his wife. Turns out it was Judas getting ready to betray Jesus. Talk about confused!

1880 book

After watching one movie while simultaneously summarizing the other, I decided to reread the book because my memory of it is muddled by the various film versions. I'm enjoying it so far and surprised by some of the book facts that the movies changed. Actually, make that a lot of things that both movies changed. 1959 changed a lot of Ben-Hur's motivations and internal thoughts. And then 2016 changed the rest.

I read this story many years ago, long before I was Christian. Certainly it long before I picked up the fact that the author was a Civil War General ... which somehow just makes the book that much more interesting. I also recently was in a conversation in which I learned that Ben-Hur was the Harry Potter of its day. Since people couldn't afford to travel, this was a great way to combine exotic travelogue and an inspiring tale.

I most recently read it in 2015 when we discussed it on A Good Story is Hard to Find and don't remember it much at all. Which says something about how little this hit me at that time. Now, with both movies specifically in mind, I find myself liking it much more.

Well Said: Being one of the five thousand

How naturally a common meal serves for a symbol of fraternity; how easily a scratch party of guests get on together if you take them out for a picnic in the open air! Just imagine what it must have meant, later on, if one of those five thousand met, by accident, one of the others; what fellowship must have been imposed on them by their common store of reminiscences! "Yes, don't you remember, I was sitting about seven or eight off you, and Peter — or John, or James, or Judas — came round with the crust which looked as if it could never satisfy more than two; we both seemed to be in starvation corner, didn't we? And then when he got to the end of the row the crust was still there."

G. Chevrot, The Well of Life

via In Conversation with God, vol. 4

You know, it never occurred to me to think about any of the people for whom Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, at least from the point of view of their lives later on. There were so many of them, in one case 5,000 and in another 4,000, and Israel was a small country. Maybe a lot of them were related. Of course, they would have bumped into each other later on.

Gone Fishing

John Singer Sargent, Two Girls Fishing, detail, 1912
via Arts Everyday Living

Again, I'm headed out of town, this time to a place where I actually could fish (if I wished, which I don't). To Florida to visit my dear mother!

We won't be dressed like this. Or, as you know, fishing.

But we will be enjoying each other's company, as well as that of Rose who's also going on this outing. We'll be cooking and watching movies, talking about books, and having all sorts of fun.

There are a couple of feast days when I'll have posts for reflection. Enjoy!

I'll be back in a week or so!

Worth a Thousand Words: Cornflower, National flower of Estonia

Cornflower, National Flower of Estonia, taken by Remo Savisaar

Worth a Thousand Words: Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel (1528), Hans Hoffmann

Well Said: Scientists and theologians

For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a bunch of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.

Robert Jastrow, NASA scientist and Columbia University physicist

What We've Been Watching: Horror, India, Action, Satire, and James Bond

THE GREAT WALL
European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.

To our great surprise, we found this a solid action movie with a classic, if simply put, message of trust and giving of yourself for others. The action pieces were inventive and the whole thing was gorgeous, as one would expect from this director. Sure it was no Hero but it was also not nearly as disappointing as Rogue One.

THE APARTMENT
Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. Although he often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits, one night he’s left with a major problem to solve.

A Billy Wilder classic that I watched because Rose said it was a comedy. Actually, satire is a better description. Not as funny as Some Like It Hot and not as dark as Double Indemnity, this film falls in the middle tone-wise as Billy Wilder gives us his take on infidelity and the cost to everyone involved. I loved the performances and the clever contrasting and parallel situations and characters which all helped to make the point. And Jack Lemmon - of course, fantastic as always.

GET OUT
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner for modern times, with a horror twist. When a young woman brings her boyfriend home to meet her parents, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead to a truth that the boyfriend never could have imagined.

A well acted tale that shows talent which makes me eagerly look forward to director/writer Jordan Peele's future movies. This much lauded movie does what a lot of good horror does, draws our attention to social conditions by exaggeration to make us think about the horror underneath.

Where Peele does something new is in the group of people he skewers before the outright horror begins. Taking well-meaning, liberal white people to task for the shallowness of their racial equality is a place that no one's gone before, because it is unfashionable to point out such things.

It really felt like a 70's horror movie in a lot of ways, and I mean that in the best possible way.

LION
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

It is hard to believe this was made by a first-time director, except when I recall several other advertising directors who've wowed the film world.

This is a really skillfully told story that, as others have pointed out, is really two movies in one. The first is that of little Saroo who is lost 1,000 miles from home and lives as a street urchin in Calcutta which is a sort of modern-day Victorian nightmare. The second is of the adult Saroo, who after adoption forgot his childhood memories and had a happy life in Tasmania. Until a sense memory brings it all flooding back and sends him on a journey to see if he can locate his lost family.

I was lukewarm on the story until I had to watch it for a group discussion. The whole thing blew me away. Really, really well told story that feels genuine.

JAMES BOND
We continue watching the James Bond movies in order. It's the rare weekend when we aren't spying with 007 so we've gotten as far as Moonraker, which was much better than we thought it would be.

This has been an interesting project and I can finally say I've seen George Lazenby's turn as Bond, which I enjoyed immensely. I had no idea they were rebooting the franchise as early as that. It makes me eager to see how the Timothy Dalton movies hit me. But we're still at least a couple of movies away from that.