Share the post "Episode #33: Priests – protect your margins!"
“The OrthoCuban on BiVocational Ministry” by Fr. Anthony Perkins
Good Guys Wear Black (AFR Podcast) September 19, 2017
In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks with Fr. Ernesto Obregon (orthocuban.com) about the special challenges that come with bi-vocational ministry and the ways we can help our bi-vocational ministers thrive. Enjoy the show!
Share the post "Episode 28: Narcissism and the Priesthood"
Narcissism and the Priesthood by Fr. Anthony Perkins
Good Guys Wear Black (AFR Podcast) May 19, 2017
Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry Linsinbigler (UOC-USA priest and Canonist) discuss the difference between run-of-the-mill pride and full-blown narcissism, how both respond (or don’t respond) to Orthopraxis, and the way narcissism poisons the soul and the community. They also call for the Church to be more intentional in keeping narcissists out of seminary and the priesthood, and discuss how we can and should protect ourselves and one another from giving in to the temptation of both pride and narcissism.
‘People often say to me, ‘J.John, what do you do?’
It’s difficult to know what to say. Because if I say to you that I’m a Reverend, which I am, that conjures up certain images in people’s minds as to what I might be. I like to be a bit creative in telling people what I do.
I sat next to this lady on an aeroplane at Heathrow airport and I said, ‘Hello’, and she said, ‘Hello’. Then I said to her, ‘Where are you going?’ and she said, ‘I’m going to Singapore’. And she said to me, ‘Where are you going?’ and I said, ‘I’m going to Australia’.
I said, ‘What do you do?’ and she told me; then she said to me, ‘What do you do?’ and I said, ‘Well….’
‘… I work for a global enterprise.’
She said, ‘Do you?’
I said, ‘Yes I do.’ I said, ‘We’ve got outlets in nearly every country of the world.’
She said, ‘Have you?’
I said, ‘Yes we have.’ I said, ‘We’ve got hospitals and hospices and homeless shelters,’ I said, ‘We do marriage work, we’ve got orphanages, we’ve got feeding programmes, educational programmes.’ I said, ‘We do all sorts of justice and reconciliation things’. I said, ‘Basically, we look after people from birth to death, and we deal in the area of behavioural alteration.’
She went, ‘Wow!’ And it was so loud, her ‘Wow!’, loads of people turned round and looked at us.
She said, ‘What’s it called?’
I said, ‘It’s called the church … have you not heard of it?’
And that’s it, really, isn’t it – if we are a follower of Jesus then we are part of a global enterprise. But not only is it global, it’s intergalactic, because it includes everyone that’s gone before us.’
Share the post "Preaching Better – Practical Suggestions for Homilists"
One of the complaints made against priests is that their homilies are largely a waste of time. Personally, I think that a good portion of the blame for this lays with the hearer (e.g. lack of preparation, inability to focus, unrealistic expectations), but there is LOT of room for improvement on the priest’s part as well.
Especially for the Orthodox, good preaching in church is like good teaching at research universities; it’s great when its there, but the system doesn’t train or select for it.
This is unfortunate and it needs to change. Here are some recommendations from Ken Untener’s book Preaching Better; Practical Suggestions for Homilists (with thanks to Rev. Todd Peperkorn and Professor Scott Stiegemeyer who reviewed the book on their vocations podcast Crux of the Matter). For more preaching resources, visit Fr. John Peck’s Preacher’s Institute. – Fr. Anthony
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Available at Amazon.com
The Context of the Homily is LITURGICAL. When we work on a homily, we are involved in the same process that created both the scriptures and the liturgy. We are, in effect, composing part of the liturgy. This is a very high calling, but it should also be a joyful one. When we engage in the creative process, we are exercising our calling as God’s imagers. We are, despite our failings, the chosen instruments for this work. However, it is “not the power of the homilist, but the power of the Word of God” that changes lives.
The Effect of the Homily is Cumulative. While it is wonderful to hear a perfectly constructed motivational sermon given by a top performer, it is more useful to hear good homilies week in and week out. Bishop Unthener compares the good homilist to a cook and the parishioner to those whom he feeds; the effects of providing healthy meals “are not strikingly manifest after the first day or week… Only after the long haul do we sense the effects of eating well. The same is true of fine homilies.”
There is no need to warm up the audience. Jokes and other introductions and the like are useful when giving talks, but they interrupt the flow of the liturgy. The antiphons, litanies, psalm verses, and readings are designed to prepare the people to hear the homily. Treating it like a talk separates it from its proper context, even placing it above the rest of the service (and subtly demeaning it).
Keep it Simple. Bishop Untener stresses that it is better to develop one thought well than several thoughts lightly, even if (others would argue ESPECIALLY if) this shortens the length of the homily. This may involve leaving out some excellent material. This really isn’t a problem, especially given our one-year lectionary! Remember, homilies are a process (i.e. are iterated). There is no need to cover everything in one Sunday.
Write (but don’t read) the Homily. Writing and editing brings clarity and discipline to the process. Take advantage of that. But having a good written homily is only the first half of the process. Next, Bishop Untiner recommends pulling three or four sentences out of the homily (one for each major section). Go over these until they are perfectly clear and they flow well from one to the next; let go of all the other material. That “lost” material was never the homily, but only part of its construction (like a cast for a mold). “The primary purpose of writing in preparation for a homily is not to produce a great text; it is to think though a thought that will become a great homily and to work through ways of expressing and organizing this thought…. Take hold of the thought and you take hold of your homily.” Our egos fight this part of the process.
Say Something Important and Worthwhile. Only deep and real homilists can give deep and real homilies. People crave meaning, but too often we just give them rehashed and formulaic words and good performances. Moreover, it isn’t enough that what we say be true and well-crafted; it has to resonate with something in the listener’s life. However, the homilist cannot just use the scripture as an excuse to talk well about something important; people need the power of the Word of God. The real-life applications need to flow from the message of the Gospel.
Be Careful with Stories. Don’t include stories that do not add to the message (i.e. ones designed to build rapport or entertain). A proper story homily will be stripped down to its essentials and illustrate the main point of the homily. People remember stories better than they remember theological points; make sure what you tell is important.
The Proper Length of the Homily is Contextual (and shorter than most assume). The Liturgy has a certain rhythm; everything (the litanies, Creed, Anaphora, etc.) has its own apportioned time. If the homily is too short or long it messes with this rhythm. Collect data (to include the timed length of your homilies and people’s attention span; our wives are great for this!) to help get this right. Remember that there really is nothing wrong with a short homily and as good as your homily may go, no one enjoys it as much as you. Bishop Untener also gives this counter-intuitive gem; the greater the event, the shorter the homily. The liturgy is huge and wonderful; the homily cannot increase its majesty (but it can put people off from enjoying it).
Stay away from Jargon. The Orthodox have been collecting precise words and phrases for almost two thousand years. Much of seminary education is spent getting men to internalize those words and phrases. Unfortunately, the people in the pews do not speak this language. Nor do they need to. The job of the homilist is not to teach the people a new language but to give them the Gospel in a way they can relate to and understand. Words that evoke images in the mind are better than abstract ones. This is hard for priests to do; Orthodoxy has a clerical (and ego) bias, and priests and theologians seem to enjoy talking over people’s heads. Homilists should study how good communicators speak and imitate these professionals (and not their seminary professors).
Subdue the Ego. Pride finds many ways into the homily process. People want the homily to be personal, but it should never be self-centered. Here are some practical suggestions for keeping the effects of pride in check: limit the number of times you refer to yourself (e.g. “I”, “my”, “me”); use “we” instead of “you”; be aware of your own need for salvation; create a system for gathering good feedback on your preaching. I’d add that “winging it” is a great way to invite pride to speak.
End well. Endings should be brief, well-constructed/prepared, and allow the people to easily transition into the next part of the service. “More can go wrong with the ending (e.g. dragging it on, going off on a tangent) than any other single part of the homily. You can take this one to the bank: “Don’t ever begin to preach a homily unless you know what the final two sentences are going to be.”
Epilogue; Ten Demons that Plague Preaching. Here are ten biggest problems Bp. Untener found during his research:
Chef Gordon Ramsay knows good preaching…
I’ve left out a lot; certainly more than enough to make the book worth reading on its own!
Share the post "Ordination to the Diaconate: St. Petersburg Theological Academy"
Another video from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, this time a video edited to 10 minutes, the ordination of a subdeacon to the order of deacon. Another visual and musical feast, and worth the time to enjoy!