Update 4/17/2024, 1:24 pm CST: I've asked ChatGPT to prepare a Catholic homily for the same passage (Luke 24:35-48). Its homily, which I think is pretty good, is pasted below the break.
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I preached this past weekend at the parish's Saturday evening mass. Usually I paste the text of my homily here. But for this weekend, even though I scripted my homily as usual, I wasn't very happy with it. So when I stood up there to preach, rather than talk directly from the script, I preached from the heart, relying on the ideas and preparation that had gone into creating the script. I think it came out better than what I had scripted. (Although, at 14 minutes, it's also quite a bit longer than what I had scripted.) So I am not going to paste the script here, but am providing a video link instead to the actual homily. The homily begins at about the 19:36 mark. Any/all feedback welcome!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Blk9rCXNA
...and as mentioned above, ChatGPT's homily on the same Gospel passage is below the break.
In this passage from the Gospel of Luke, we witness the profound encounter between the Risen Christ and his disciples. Let's delve into the richness of this scripture:
The Context:
Following the resurrection of Jesus, two of his disciples had encountered him on the road to Emmaus, but they did not recognize him until he broke bread with them. As they rushed back to Jerusalem to share this miraculous encounter with the other disciples, Jesus appeared among them, bringing peace and reassurance.
Revealing His Presence:
Jesus begins by greeting his disciples with the words, "Peace be with you." This simple yet powerful greeting encapsulates the essence of his ministry - to bring peace to the troubled hearts of humanity. In a world filled with fear and uncertainty, Jesus offers the enduring peace that transcends all understanding.
The Reality of the Resurrection:
Despite witnessing the resurrected Jesus, the disciples were still filled with disbelief and doubt. To dispel their uncertainty, Jesus invites them to touch his hands and feet, offering tangible proof of his resurrection. This emphasizes the physical reality of the resurrection and assures the disciples that Jesus is not merely a ghost or a figment of their imagination, but truly alive.
Commissioning His Followers:
Having affirmed his resurrection, Jesus commissions his disciples to be witnesses of these events and to proclaim the message of repentance and forgiveness to all nations. This commission is not only directed to the disciples present in that room but to all who would come to believe in him throughout history, including us today. We are called to be witnesses of the resurrection, to share the good news of salvation, and to be instruments of God's forgiveness and reconciliation in the world.
The Power of the Holy Spirit:
Jesus assures his disciples that they will not fulfill this mission alone but will be empowered by the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will dwell within them, guiding, empowering, and sustaining them in their ministry. This promise of the Holy Spirit is not limited to the disciples but is available to all who believe in Jesus, enabling us to live lives filled with courage, faith, and love.
Living in the Light of the Resurrection:
As we reflect on this passage, we are reminded that the resurrection is not just a historical event but a living reality that continues to transform lives today. Like the disciples, we are called to encounter the risen Christ in our midst, to receive his peace, and to be empowered by his Spirit to bear witness to the reality of his resurrection in our world.
In conclusion, let us respond to the invitation of Jesus to be his witnesses, to proclaim the message of repentance and forgiveness, and to live our lives in the light of his resurrection. May we, like the disciples, be filled with faith, courage, and love as we journey with the risen Christ and share his love with all whom we encounter. Amen.
Jim, it was a good homily on the sacrament of Penance. But its seems like more of a Lenten homily. We just came off of Easter, it is still in the Easter season. All three parishes here had confessions scheduled at various times during Holy Week. All of them had communal penance services too if people preferred that. Most people went to confession prior to Easter. I tried to miss the rush by going about ten days prior, but I still had to stand in line 45 minutes behind at least seven people, and there were probably ten behind me. I think everyone probably already fulfilled their Easter duty!
ReplyDeleteIt was the deacons' weekend to preach here too, and my husband kind of struggled with it, wasn't satisfied with what he came up with. He used some online helps, and was self-critical about that. But I think it is perfectly fine, I'm sure most priests also do that sometimes. His focus was on the purpose of Luke's quite extraordinary detail in the post Resurrection appearances.
I didn't mind the length of yours. The recommended length here is 5 to 10 minutes. But the pastor very often doesn't take his own advice and goes past that. Which I think is fine, most people don't have anywhere to go that they can't spare a few extra minutes.
Katherine, many thanks. You may be right that I was preaching "out of season".
DeleteRe: your husband's struggles: personally, I think Easter can be a difficult season to preach; there is a sort of sameness from year to year. The 2nd Sunday always is the appearance in the upper room; the 4th Sunday always is Good Shepherd Sunday. This year, the 3rd Sunday brings the 2nd consecutive appearance-in-the-room passage.
DeleteFWIW, we had a visiting priest on Sunday morning, so I deferred to him and let him preach (which is part of the courtesy extended to a visitor priest). He preached a very different message, focusing on the joy the disciples experienced in the Resurrection. It was quite good.
Yes, I also think it's okay to use "homily helps" when we're seeking for inspiration. As long as we're not just baldly reading aloud someone else's sermon :-). What we preach, I think we should have internalized. But we all have sources for what we say up there, whether it's another homily from someone else, or a book, or a lecture - it all comes from somewhere. If we're being utterly original, that's probably a red flag that we've strayed from the path and have wandered into the mire.
DeleteBetty and I just finished listening to your homily. Her first comment was that you obviously had a prepared homily and did not refer to it; that was a compliment from her. I had not read to her your post.
ReplyDeletePriests almost always put me to sleep. At one point about five to ten minutes in, I felt I was nodding off; I focused more on your gestures and that helped. I think they made the homily livelier than either the modulation of your voice or the content.
Betty and I both noted that the camera person did change shots during the homily which also helped in making it effective.
Jack, thank you - and please relay my thanks to Betty!
DeleteI noticed that my breathing is quite audible. I am sure it's at least in part because I'm asthmatic. But I'm not usually aware of it. It was a little off-putting.
As for the content, in my relationship to God I am Trinitarian. When I address God formally in prayer, it is almost always as Father, Creator.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of Jesus it is as teacher, friend, brother. I experience Christ not only in scripture but also in the people around me, relatives, friends, people whom I serve and people who serve me.
Most of the time, God is present to me as Spirit both in all creation, as well as in my thoughts, feelings and deeds and as well as the woods feeling and deeds of others.
So, when anyone starts talking about a relationship with Jesus, I cannot easily apply that to my relationship with the Triune God.
I can only think of other people conducting an imagery conversation with a pious image on a holy card. Not very appealing!
I liked the part about "fulfillment." As the Father created us for fulfillment, Jesus teaches us what a fulfilling life looks like, and the Holy Spirit tries to buoy us along the rough spots at times. I am sure the holy sacraments can help those who believe in them. The latter part of the sermon struck me as a bit heavy-handed about sin, as if you maybe felt people just weren't feeling bad enough. However, your demeanor gave me the sense that you are very sincere and approachable. I enjoyed your Scripture reading.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I couldn’t follow because of my hearing. But you look like an amiable person.Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteAnne,
DeleteOn the YouTube video, if you click on the "more" you will find the Transcript option. Click the "show transcript" button and a "transcript" will appear on the right side of the YouTube video.
Not a perfect transcript, but probably as good as or perhaps even better than the audio.
Jack, I never knew YouTube has that feature. In my case, I went into Settings (the "gear" icon at the bottom of the screen) and turned on subtitles. I just re-watched it with the subtitles turned on. It was nearly perfect in transcribing my words.
DeleteThanks for letting us see you in action, Jim. I liked the homily and your delivery. Yes, I could tell from your voice you hail from Chicago but I didn't detect any breathiness. Giving homilies has to be one of the most challenging things anyone can do. I've presented before groups of over a thousand people but it was technical, not touching on things of the spirit. My heart was pounding in my chest nevertheless.
ReplyDeleteStanley - thank you! Yes, it's a little nerve-racking to do public speaking. Or any sort of public performance. Our parish has been putting on a musical show - there were three performances last week. I'm in charge of the band and have been playing keyboards. Each performance is 30 songs, one right after the other without any sort of break except for a 15 minute intermission. It's kind of high-pressure because if I make a mistake (which is easy to do - the music is quite difficult for me) it makes the performer(s) look bad.
DeleteJim, I would totally be freaking out if I had to do that! I have never been able to get past a high degree of anxiety about playing keyboard in public. That's why I only do it for the choir I am part of, for the songs they don't do on guitar. The worst anxiety producing things I had to play for were two weddings. They were my brothers', so I kind of had to. But no more weddings. Grandmothers get to sit in the pews.
DeleteAbout the ChatGPT homily, it was okay; actually it was good. I'd definitely take it over some I've heard. But I liked yours better, it had more individuality to it.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, the art club I belong to is gearing up for their spring show. So far we are all doing "slow boring" art. But some us, (including me) are thinking about testing the waters and trying AI art. But if I do, I'm not sharing it with fellow members yet. Artists can be pretty snobby about that stuff. I follow some artists on Facebook, and one of them, from Japan, is doing some pretty amazing AI pictures. But according to her bio, she didn't get into AI until 2023. She has a previous degree in art and worked as an illustrator for years. Her AI art looks a lot like her previous work. But some of the comments on FB are critical of her because "All AI is, is just typing words into a computer".
Katherine - how would that work? Can the artist alter whatever image the AI engine creates?
DeleteFYI - I just asked ChatGPT to create an image of Pope Francis dressed as an Argentinian shepherd. I had hoped it would create something that looked like a photo or a painting. But it simply gave me words, describing what such an image would look like. It may be that my freebie account doesn't include the ability to create images. (Or maybe it does and I haven't figured it out yet.)
Jim, I'm not quite sure how it works. I'm trying to find out if the community college has an intro course in AI art. I know there are multiple programs/apps for it, some paid, some not. I think with the freebie ones you only get a limited number of tries. I'm going to have to talk to my sons to find out more, LOL!
DeleteI think some of the apps allow you to scan your own pictures in for the purpose of altering and manipulating it. I think that is what that Japanese artist probably did.
Jim, if you succeed in generating an AI picture of Pope Francis as an Argentinian shepherd, I hope you post it!
Delete