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From time to time, folks ask, "Father, how do you go about preaching?"

The first step is to determine what type of homily you intend. Audience and circumstance are vital. Sermons come in various forms:

• a topical homily is concerned with a particular subject of current interest;

• a liturgical homily explains the liturgy's gestures, actions and so on;

• a biographical homily traces the story of a biblical character in Scripture;

• a historical homily portrays a story within its historical perspective;

• an evangelical homily seeks a community's conversion or return to faith;

• expository preaching or exegesis explains a text;

• a redemptive-historical homily takes into account the context of a text within in a broader history of salvation;

• a narrative homily tells a story - often a parable or series of stories - to make a moral point;

• illustrative sermons connect an apparently unrelated biblical verse or religious question with a current calendar event or festival.

Paul preached. Jesus preached. They differed.

(Father Rosson is pastor of St. Mary's/Our Lady of the Lake parish in Cooperstown. After printing this in the parish bulletin and delivering a related homily, he was approached by an editor for a religious publisher about writing a book for priests on homily preparation.)[[In-content Ad]]

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