When we proclaim the Word of God, we are talking about communicating what God wants to tell his people what the Lord wants to put in the minds and hearts of those who hear it, always with the purpose of that Word will bear fruit for eternal life. Therefore, the minister of the Word is not merely a man who prepares and who says sermons. It is not simply one that has a special ability to read or speak. There is a prominent intellectual, capable of developing good ideas in public. Not even one with a solid theological training. A true minister of the Word is not one that can cope with ease radio microphones or TV cameras a true minister of the Word is more than that, because all these things are only human. What does matter is that a minister of the Word to know God's truth, that God has chosen for the ministry (and if so, has the gifts necessary), and has had some dealings with God.
Therefore, prayer must always precede the word. Paul's prayers for the Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians is a clear demonstration of how the prayer of the apostle triggers spiritual growth and revelation. Powerful prayer comes after knowing the will of God and seeing the needs of siblings. Of these sentences will emerge, at the same time able to satisfy anointed preaching every need. Preaching is not an exercise homiletic: is the answer to the specific needs of the people of God. No time to pray hard to God, we will be in trouble minister before men. Prayer gets better results than any other type of spiritual work.
Prayer conquers the wisdom of the heart that makes our ministry effective communicators of the Word. Whenever we experience our smallness, our limitations and disabilities, but with immense possibilities let the Word speak to us. In De Catechizandis
rudibus, St. Augustine comments on the situation of one who communicates the Word, from his own experience:
"I'm not nearly as ever with my sermons. I have all my heart set on what I enjoy in my heart before you start exposing it in words, and if I do not say how I feel, I'm sad to see that my language has not lived up to my heart. I wish that everyone who listens to me understand what I understand, but that not happen, and I realize it's because of my words ... So sometimes it hurts me see that my audience does not understand, though I try, as it were, opening myself to get to their level barely pass between the syllables ... "
Many have the desire to speak for God, but are not willing to take the time to hear it.
Psalm 119 says:" I rise before dawn and cried, I waited in your word. Anticipated my eyes to watch in the night, to meditate on your commandments "," My soul faints for your salvation, but I hope in your word, "" Mine eyes fail for your word. "
see what great importance is growing spiritual life, or, to put it another way, to keep life in the Spirit. The minister of the Word have to remember that this is an act or mission that relates to spiritual things. This does not mean you have to separate the truth of being, mental and material things, like abstractions in some sense and have no living connection with these matters. Your business is in the realm of thought to apply it in the light of eternal wisdom, and responsibility in the realm of action is to find a way to inspire them with principles and spiritual passion.
have to inquire of God what is his way and his will, about everything, big and small, so small with the same earnest sincerity that big. The rush that can not wait on the Lord is to be discarded. If you do not have time to seek the Lord, no time to do anything else. The events that begin without having discovered the divine will are dead. When the word ceases to be light, fire, joy for the man in your life, peering, switching and substantiated his preaching becomes routine and hassle for your own soul, and is totally ineffective in the lives of others.
is that the Gospel preached in the Church is not only message, but a divine and salutary action experienced by those who believe, they feel, that obey the message and welcome. Thus, Revelation is not confined to instruct us about the nature of a God who lives in unapproachable light, but at the same time shows us how God does for us with grace. The Word is an instrument through which Christ works in us to His Spirit. Upon hearing, the contact with God himself challenges the hearts of men and calls for a decision has not been addressed in a simple intellectual knowledge but requires conversion of heart.
The preaching of the Word by the sacred ministers involved, in a sense, the salvific character of the Word itself, and this not just because they speak of Christ, but because they announce to his listeners the Gospel with power of questioning that comes from your participation in the consecration and mission of the Word of God incarnate. In the ears of ministers always echo the words of the Lord: "Whoever hears you, hears me, who, you despise, I despise me "(Lk 10, 16)
The new evangelization calls for a fiery ministry of the Word, comprehensive and well-founded, with a clear theological content, spiritual, liturgical and moral, attentive to meet the specific needs of men. It is not obviously fall into the temptation of intellectualism that, rather than light, it could be obscuring the Christian conscience, but to develop a true "intellectual charity" means a permanent and patient teaching on fundamental truths of faith and Catholic morality and its influence on the spiritual life.
Evangelizing means, in effect, advertise and propagate to all honest and appropriate means available, the content of revealed truths, and at the same time show to translate those truths in practical life, in testimony and missionary commitment.
pastoral sensitivity of preachers must be continually aware of to identify the issues that concern men and their possible solutions.
It also has considerable importance for the priest the care of the formal aspects of preaching. We live in an age of information and rapid communication, in which we are accustomed to hear and see valuable elements of television and radio. In a way, the priest, who is also a unique social communicator, and therefore the message must be presented so strongly attractive. Next to know how to exploit with skill and apostolic spirit of "new pulpits" that are the media, the priest must, above all, take care that their message is at the height of the Word he preaches.
priestly preaching should be carried out, like Jesus Christ, so positive and uplifting, which drag men to the Kindness, Beauty and Truth of God.
final matter in the exercise of a vocation is patiently shepherding those who have been gathered in the flock as a result of preaching. There must be a permanent feeding the flock through the systematic preaching of the Word. To achieve this ideal
the exercise of the vocation of the Ministry of the Word, the minister has not saving any time. As the years pass, the Word which comes to hand it over to others, will grow in strength and beauty, and proclaim the joy is their strength and their duty.
Fr. Walter Moschetti
Episcopal Delegate for Social Communications of the Archdiocese of Rosario, Argentina. Theology Network Coordinator OCLACC
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