During homilies, I occasionally tell an amusing story to illustrate my point. I deliver a line I find particularly jocular, only to look up from my text to be greeted not by laughter but by blank stares. Crickets. The gentle sound of a baby wiggling in embarrassment.
The fact is, connecting with parishioners and delivering a good homily on a weekly basis is a huge challenge. It’s difficult even to define what a homily is. Is it a lecture? Should it arrive in a three-point format? Should it inculturate, explain original context, use a smattering of lexical analysis of Hebrew? Should it challenge or comfort?
