Definition
of Homilia
The
term homily comes from the Latin late homilĭa , in turn
derived from a Greek word. The first meaning mentioned in the dictionary
of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to the discourse or reasoningthat
is developed to expose or convey religious issues .
The homily,
therefore, is the explanation or reflection that the priest
makes after proclaiming the word of God . It guides the faithful
on the application of divine mandates in everyday life .
The rituals and prayers of
the liturgy can also be explained in the context of the
homily . The intention is that the believer knows in depth the
celebration and can participate fully.
The preacher
must not include his opinions in the homily: his function is to
serve God , transmitting the faith of the Church . It
is not an instrument for the religious to make known his opinion or his
subjective vision of some event, but it is a mechanism to optimize the arrival
of religious contents to the faithful.
It should be
noted that the priest can not improvise the homily. On the
contrary, you have to prepare it thoroughly. The application of the
precepts of rhetoric in preaching is called homiletics .
It can be
said that homiletics is the art of preparing the homily for the transmission of
religious discourse to be effective. The cleric must analyze the style,
composition and preparation of the sermon and learn to use his voice ,
body and gestures so that communication with those who hear the homily is
successful.
