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| Preaching respect for God's creation by participating in the Climate Strike |
Today I’m at the CDN, and my Introduction to Preaching class with
Sr. Sara Fairbanks, OP, has been a much richer experience than I dreamed it
could be. Although I have been going to
mass all my life, I never understood the difference between a homily and a
sermon, nor did I appreciate the concept that good preaching doesn’t simply
occur between two parts of the liturgy, but rather it draws us from hearing
God’s word to celebrating the Eucharist.
The semester isn’t over and already I listen to preaching during mass
very differently, and find myself focusing more deeply on the Gospel in light
of the gift of the Eucharist.
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| Dominican Panel Night with Elyse Ramirez, OP; Ed Ruan, OP; Brother Andrew Martin del Valle and Sara Fairbanks, OP |
Social media is not my comfort zone, so our first assignment
– writing a preaching tweet for each of the daily gospels for a week – was more
than a little daunting, but the challenge was rewarding. Capturing the key point and a meaningful
message from the gospel in only 180 characters, and then finding an image to
pair with the words, required a whole new level of reflection. It turned into an
opportunity to explore prayer styles like lectio divina and Ignatian
spirituality in new ways, with new kinds of fruits. Since we posted our tweets on a private
electronic bulletin board, we were able to see and learn from each other’s work. It seemed each of us found a different jewel
to highlight in each Gospel reading, and a different way to reflect that
jewel’s beauty and wisdom.
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Luke 6:1-5 We’re
tired, hungry, and wondering if the road will ever end.
We need nourishment if we’re going to keep
going. And there’s Jesus,
standing in a
field of grain, arms open wide saying “Don’t be afraid,
see what my father has
provided – come, take and eat of God’s goodness!”
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The same has been true of our oral preaching in class. Fortunately, my knees don’t knock and my hands don’t shake nearly as much anymore, perhaps partly because I’m so excited to hear the insights my classmates offer in their preaching. Each one brings such creativity to presenting their insights and challenging us to incorporate the Gospel into our lives. Somehow, God’s word speaks to each of us in ways that are as unique as we ourselves are. The Gospels remind me of a rainbow, the Old Testament symbol of God’s covenantal relationship with us – myriad shades of color woven together into a visible manifestation of God’s love and creative power. I now understand that oral preaching itself is a gift that is as diverse and as exciting as that broader Dominican definition of preaching.
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| Luke 5:1-11 Simon fell at Jesus’s knees in
astonishment; he would have been more astonished to know about the blessings that leaving the life he knew to follow Jesus would mean for himself and the world. We too can’t imagine the future our loving God has planned for each of us. |
