Q. Are there rules about how long homilies can be?
A. Preaching the Gospel holds a principal place in the ministry of the Catholic Church. This makes sense, given that Christ’s public ministry was devoted primarily to preaching, and His performing of miracles being important only in so far as they confirmed the authority of His preaching.
Within the wider context of preaching the Gospel, “the homily, which is part of the liturgy itself and is reserved to a priest or deacon, is preeminent” (CIC c. 767 §1).
The homily is preeminent because “the purpose of the homily at Mass is that the spoken word of God and the liturgy of the Eucharist may together become ‘a proclamation of God’s wonderful works in the history of salvation, the mystery of Christ’ (Introduction in the Lectionary).”
The use of the term “homily” to mean preaching in the context of the Breaking of the Bread can be traced back to the Acts of the Apostles and was the normal means with which the Church Fathers expounded on the Sacred Scriptures.
Homilies are an integral part of the liturgical celebration and are to be focused on what God is trying to communicate to His people in that particular celebration, through His Word in the readings and the prayers of the Mass. They are to “be set forth in a way accommodated to the condition of the listeners and in a manner adapted to the needs of the times” (CIC c. 769). Homilies are not just abstract lectures, but are meant to speak to the concrete realities that those who hear them are living in.
Because the homily is supposed to be accommodated to the conditions of the listeners, the length of the homily can justifiably be said to be determined by the circumstances in which it is given. A priest or deacon preaching a weekday Mass for people on their way to work should take those circumstances into account, and keep the homily short. A priest or deacon preaching during a retreat can give a longer homily, since that is part of the purpose of the retreat.
In an interview, Pope Francis expressed his belief that homilies should be 8 to 10 minutes. This seems to be his application of the principle that homilies should be accommodated to the circumstances of those who hear them. In the Western world in 2023, attention spans are not what they were in the Ancient Near East in the 400s. While the 8- to 10-minute comment should not be taken as definitive doctrine, it should be given due consideration since it is the expressed opinion of the Holy Father.
It is very easy to fall into the trap of judging homilies exclusively by their length. Longer homilies become “bad” because they are long, and shorter homilies become “good” because they are short. This is not a good way to categorize homilies. The quality of a homily is determined by how effectively it leads one to a deeper encounter with Christ and conversion of heart.
Homilies are an integral part of the Mass, and as such priests and deacons should work to ensure that they are giving the best homilies they can. But homilies are not the be-all, end-all. They do not define the “quality” of the priest nor the “quality” of the Mass, whether they are good or bad. Homilies are meant to facilitate a deeper entrance into the sacramental mystery made present later in the liturgy, not replace them.
Putting too much emphasis on a homily, whether as a priest or as a layperson, distracts from the centrality of the Eucharist which, as the “source and summit of the Christian life” should always be the focus of the Mass.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
