To Catholic Priests,

Many of you carry heavy burdens each day. Between administrative responsibilities, parish concerns, community events, social obligations, and the constant call to attend to the needs of the flock, time becomes a rare treasure. We understand this. We pray for you. But we must also be honest and direct, with charity and clarity.

There is one responsibility of a priest that must never be neglected or rushed. It is not paperwork. It is not meetings. It is not even the building projects or the social programs. It is the homily.

The Holy Mass is the source and summit of our Christian life. And within the Mass, there is only one time, only one moment, when the priest may speak directly to the people, heart to heart, to teach and to clarify, to correct and to comfort. That moment is the homily. It is not an afterthought. It is not a space for jokes or personal updates. It is sacred.

I say this with sadness and honesty: out of perhaps every ten homilies I hear, only one is acceptable. Not good. Just acceptable. Many are vague. Some are confusing. Others are just meaningless storytelling. And a few are disrespectful, even clownish, degrading the altar with jokes, random tales, and shallow feel-good slogans.

Because of these poor homilies, many people leave church every Sunday not only uninspired but even misled. Some never return. Some leave the Church. Some stay but slowly forget what the Catholic faith truly teaches. One badly formed homily can push a soul away from God. This is no exaggeration.

In 2008, under Pope Benedict XVI, the Church recognized this deep problem and began working on a solution. In 2014, under Pope Francis, the Homiletic Directory was officially published.

This document was made for your benefit. It provides a roadmap for preaching. It explains the meaning of the readings in the context of the Catechism. It gives clarity, depth, and structure. It is a guide, not a burden.

Why was it written? Because the Church saw the need to “help preachers appreciate the purpose of the homily and offer them assistance in fulfilling a mission which is vital to the life of the Church.” Many priests nowadays are not preaching well. Many are unprepared. Some even teach error. Others avoid teaching Catholic doctrine altogether, afraid to offend or unsure of what to say. The Homiletic Directory reminds us that homily is not optional, and it is not just any speech. It is a continuation of the Word of God, proclaimed with authority.

Bad preaching does not only fail to inspire. It can lead souls to hell. The faithful come to Mass needing spiritual nourishment. Many come with questions, wounds, sins, and confusion. A priest who prepares his homily well is a shepherd who feeds his sheep. But a priest who comes to the pulpit unready or simply makes it up on the spot risks becoming a hireling who abandons the flock.

Worse still, those who treat the homily as a joke, as a stage for performance or vague storytelling, dishonor the altar. Some even desecrate it. I say with all seriousness: I would rather attend Mass with no homily at all than listen to another priest turn the pulpit into a show.

The tragedy is that many of these same priests are also careless in the most important part of the worship. They distribute the Body of Christ without reverence. Instead of encouraging reverent reception of the Blessed Sacrament kneeling and, on the tongue, they prefer speed and convenience. Why? Because their formation was weak. Because some bishops, cardinals, and even popes do not care.

But it does not have to be this way.

Every parish priest should look to Saint John Vianney, the Cure of Ars. He is the patron of parish priests for a reason. He lived in poverty. At first he was mocked by his own parishioners. But he never compromised the truth. He preached with fire. He heard confessions day and night. He lived for souls. If we had one Saint John Vianney in every parish today, the world would be a better place.

Fathers, we are not asking you to be perfect. We are only asking you to be faithful. If you truly love the souls entrusted to you, take time to prepare your homilies. Open the Scriptures. Open the Catechism. Open the Homiletic Directory. Preach Christ. Preach the Church. Preach Heaven and Hell. Preach repentance.

The souls you see every Sunday may never hear another Catholic teaching again in their lives except from your homily. That is your moment. That is your duty. And yes, it might be their only chance to be saved.

So unless you are one of those rare intellectual priests who are always ready to say their homilies without compromising the Sacred Deposit of Faith, please give sufficient time ahead to prepare your homilies. Do not improvise. Improvising a homily is sinful when you consistently neglect proper preparation, fail to convey sound Catholic doctrine, or treat the homily with irreverence or casualness. It becomes a serious matter.

The homily is part of the liturgical action and should be prepared carefully in prayer, study, and meditation on the Word. Deliberate neglect of this duty can be sinful, especially if it leads to doctrinal confusion, scandal, or a weakening of faith among the people. Since the homily is often the only time during Mass when the faithful hear direct teaching from the Church, priests must treat it as a sacred moment, not a time to entertain or improvise without spiritual and theological depth.

May the Lord guide your mind and heart. And may Saint John Vianney intercede for you.