Some Advice to Priests on Sermons from a Bored Worshipper

How many of the sermons you have ever heard do you remember? Perhaps you have been luckier than me because I have sat through thousands and remember almost none as most were so dull.

Priests must know when the congregation has lost interest yet too many of them ramble on regardless. Some think worshippers have nothing better to do with their time than sit through their monologues. I considered walking out of a mass recently when the sermon lasted almost half an hour. If I had my way a limit of 20 minutes would be set for Sunday mass and 10 for weekdays.

I particularly dread a sermon that starts “In today´s reading …” and goes on to analyze the liturgy. Priests must know that they have virtually no chance of adding anything original yet they persist.

If you are a priest I would like to give you some advice - keep your sermon short, get to the point and spare us the platitudes. I used to be a journalist and our mantra was “news is people”. It should be the same for sermons.

If you really want to keep our attention then make your sermon personal, either about yourself or an individual. That´s the way to get Jesus´s message across.

The most memorable sermon I have ever heard was on the parable of the prodigal son and the theme of forgiveness. I was in Cape Town and the priest told us he had been an officer in the South African army that fought in Angola in the 1970s and 80s.

He later became a priest and his parish was in a dangerous neighborhood. Once he was kidnapped by gunmen who put a hood on him, bundled him into the boot of a car and drove off. He was kept prisoner for three days and under the constant threat of death before being released. It took a long time to bring himself to forgive the kidnappers but he resolved to do so and later went to the prison where they were held and told them he forgave them. He did not say how they responded and I wonder how he would have reacted if they had shown no interest or gratitude. Would he have retracted his forgiveness?

That is another matter but I can tell you this sermon gripped the entire congregation. It conveyed the message of the parable in a unique and convincing way. It is easy to say you should forgive those who have offended you but how many of us could forgive a scumbag who has shoved a gun into your face, pulled a hood over your head and stuffed you into the boot of a car like an old carpet and inflicted a terrifying ordeal on you?

I know this is a dramatic example and most priests have not suffered such experiences. However, on another memorable occasion a priest spoke about the familiar parable of the sower and the seed. He told us how when he was a boy in Portugal he used to watch his grandfather tend a small patch of land in a methodical way, preparing it to obtain the best harvest. He used this personal experience in evocative, simple language to the parable and managed to convey Jesus´s  message in a convincing way.

Priests should realize that a sermon does not have to be wordy or erudite and they do not have to be orators. They should inspire and comfort the congregation, not send them to sleep or have them glancing at their watches and wondering what is for lunch.

© John Brander Fitzpatrick 2025