JORAS - Nigerian Journal of Religion and Society

What really comprises a good homily? While every homily should address a particular audience, the homilist might be inclined to satisfy the perceived needs of an audience in a way that makes him torn between the text and the audience. Relying on some magisterial texts, this essay argues critically and descriptively that a good homily should seek to address its audience through a proper development of the Logos or content of the homily as provided by Scripture and appropriate liturgical texts. Precisely because Scripture is a means for apprehending the Word of God, the homilist should prepare his sermons in communication with the owner of the message through prayer. When this message is understood in its Christological depth, as the message of God who has assumed every human situation by his incarnation, then the homilist forges a necessary link between the message and the audience in a way that speaks to them in their concrete situation.

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