Thus faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
But I ask, did they not hear?
Certainly they did; for
Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
Certainly they did; for
Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.
Is preaching outdated? We have entered a new age and many old familiar ways are disappearing. Communication is a digital event. Words and sounds flow through billions of miles of copper and fiber wires. Even objects can be sent electronically; one of this year's Christmas toys will be "three dimensional printers."
At one time preaching was done only with an unassisted human voice. In some places, clever architects designed amphitheaters where the voice was amplified. Beyond city walls, crowds learned to move downwind from the speaker to hear more clearly. When Jesus preached to five thousand he apparently moved from group to group, repeating his message over and over. We know he also used the carrying power of calm water to preach to people on the shore.
In many situations the preacher stood before a densely packed crowd. They saw his face and felt his immediate presence. Those who stood close enough might have caught the spittle that flew from his mouth. Preaching was a up-front-and-personal.
Educated persons of the ancient world specialized in public speaking. They learned the art of communication; how to announce, teach and persuade with reasonable and even subtle arguments. As recently as the Civil War, large crowds of farmers and merchants listened with rapt attention to closely detailed argumentation between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas . Our ancestors enjoyed the clever mot as much as we do, but expected more than sound bites from their leaders.
I suspect preaching is sapped of its strength by electronics. Even the ubiquitous microphone alters the human voice, alienates the messenger and depersonalizes the message. I have seen adults sitting not ten feet in front of me acting as if I am on television. They don't seem to realize that I am in the same room where they squirm, signal and whisper to one another as I speak. Growing up in a television environment, they don't know how to pay attention to a live human being, one who feels offended by rude behavior.
Preaching happens between human beings with real flesh. The apostle is not just a talking head. When the Word becomes flesh it feels personal, warm and friendly. It is familiar, as in family, and knows your name. Preaching, as Jesus and Saint Paul knew it, has gone underground. Many people cannot hear it even when they're in the very room with the preacher because they don't want to be with those people, in that congregation or a member of this church.
The New Evangelization might attempt to utilize copper wires and fiber optics but it will have to impact our very real flesh. It will draw us together again, and we will hear, touch, smell and speak to one another.
The New Evangelization might attempt to utilize copper wires and fiber optics but it will have to impact our very real flesh. It will draw us together again, and we will hear, touch, smell and speak to one another.
I think your comments are fascinating. Here you are preaching via a blog on the internet. You can reach people who won't step foot in a church building. I think of St. Maximilian Kolbe when tv first came out and recognize it as a tool to spread the word. You've done that with your blog.
ReplyDeleteBut on the other hand, I think the personal view of preaching that you present in this homily is exactly what people are hungry for in this world. With the impersonal communication of the digital age, that intimacy is lost. It is a struggle for all who want to spread the Good News.