I attended Sunday Mass on mission Sunday morning at the parish near Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, when I was on sabbatical. I was sitting beside a family with a little girl about 5 years old who busied herself during the Mass with her drawing and coloring book.
The priest in his homily described some of his friend’s missionary experiences. Towards the end he emphasized the need for our prayers for missionaries.
“If you say one our Father, three Hail Marys and one Gloria every night for the missions you will have said 30 Our Fathers, 90 Hail Marys and 30 Glorias for the missions. By the end of a year you will have contributed 365 Our Fathers, 1095 Hail Marys and 365 Glorias.”
At this stage I was wondering was this a homily on mission or a mathematics class?
He finished strongly then with a challenge, “The question is – will you do this?” “I will,” shouted the little girl beside me, as her coloring book slipped to the floor.
The preacher certainly caught her attention! I was left wondering what makes a good homily!
Columban Fr. Frank Hoare lives and works in Fiji.