Cardinal Arinze warns priests against long sermons

Enugu, Nigeria, November 17, 2024 / 7:00 am

Vatican-based Nigerian church leader Cardinal Francis Arinze has urged priests to avoid long sermons, saying a homily should not be an exhibition of “theological acrobatics” but rather a reflection of the priest’s prayer life and a clear, concise proclamation of the Gospel.

In his keynote speech during Nigeria’s twelve-day centenary celebrations Bigard Memorial Major SeminaryArinze emphasized the importance of priests delivering sermons that are deeply rooted in Scripture, liturgical texts and sound theology.

“A well-prepared homily should last about ten minutes. A 45-minute university lecture is for a different setting. A homily is not a display of theological acrobatics, nor a speech about money,” the cardinal said at an event on November 13.

A homily, Arinze added, “is not an exposition of the local political climate, nor a social discourse on the economic hardships of the people. It should be the sharing of the priest’s prayer life from the past week in the presence of the Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.”

He explained that the main points of the homily are best put in writing and that the language of a homily should be clear – “not a mixture of English and the local language, nor an exhibition of the preacher’s ability to use idioms to navigate.”

“A bad homily is an offense against the Word of God and against God’s people gathered to hear his word,” the cardinal said.

In his speech titled “The Impact of Formations House on Education in Nigeria,” Arinze reflected on the priestly vocation and the role of seminaries in preparing future priests.

“It is expected that the seminary will train the future priest to be a good shepherd of God’s people. He is the spiritual leader of individual Catholics and their associations. Patiently attending their meetings, where he delivers well-prepared speeches, is one of the ways he serves them,” the cardinal continued. “Lay leaders remain necessary, depending on the nature of each association. But the priest is their irreplaceable shepherd. As a good shepherd, he stands neither for nor behind his people; he is in their midst. As the Pope would say: he smells like sheep.”

Arinze noted the alarming trend of young people drifting away from the Catholic faith and turning instead to African traditional religions and other superstitions.

“There are complaints in many parts of our country, Nigeria, that many young people today are quite poor in their knowledge of the Catholic faith. Many of them are reverting to the practices of African traditional religion,” he said.

“They may engage in real idolatry; they believe in charms; they consult fortune tellers and some even go so far as to kill a family member in the hope that it will bring in a lot of money. It is no surprise when such young people keep away from the sacraments.”

Arinze continued: “The problem will not be solved by blaming the catechists for something that was not done properly. Some Nigerian dioceses have had a notable increase in the number of priests… Suppose such a diocese has a policy that a priest must be the religious teacher in every classroom in primary or secondary schools. It is not within the dignity of the priest to teach young people about God and religion. Moreover, the teens need answers to life’s challenges.”

“The seminary also has the role of preparing its (students) to be good preachers. A priest must be a convinced proclaimer of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.”

In his keynote address at the start of the 12-day centenary celebrations, Arinze reflected on the challenge of inculturation in the Catholic Church in Nigeria.

The cardinal noted the Church’s ongoing efforts to respect local cultures, including the adoption of local names in baptism and hymns in indigenous languages.

However, he underlined the need for a more thorough and careful process of inculturation, involving bishops, theologians and cultural experts.

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“In order to inculturate an element of culture, the bishops’ conference of the area or country in question must first establish a multidisciplinary study committee, composed of experts in theology, liturgy, scriptural studies, ethnology, psychology and music. Such a high-powered committee will have to examine the many sides of a particular custom or tradition and, if it deems it ripe, make recommendations to the bishops’ conference,” he said.

“Inculturation demands a lot from a local Church,” Arinze emphasized. “It’s not a one-man business. It is not the fruit of someone’s over-fertile imagination, who comes up with an idea on Saturday evening and forces it down the throats of the innocent and unsuspecting Sunday Mass congregation the next morning.”

As Bigard Memorial Seminary enters its second century of founding, Arinze expressed gratitude for its successes and called on future generations of seminarians and priests to continue the work of evangelization and faith integration.

“Bigard Memorial Seminary has come a long way in a hundred years in preparing clergy for evangelism. It did a good job!” said the cardinal. “May the Lord of the harvest continue to bless and guide this revered alma mater of ours as it enters its second century. May the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, intercede for Bigard.”

Bigard Memorial Major Seminary in Enugu was established in Onitsha in 1922 and officially opened in 1924. It was moved to its current location in 1951. It is named after benefactors Stephanie and Jeanne Bigard, a French mother and daughter who were foundresses of the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle, which donated the money for the main building.

In 1982, Pope John Paul II visited the Bigard Memorial Major Seminary, the first Nigerian seminary to receive such a guest.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and adapted by CNA.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for communication within the Catholic Church. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Jude currently works as a journalist for ACI Africa.