Basic Aspects of the Homily in the Holy Mass in Which Children Participate

Abstract

Owing to the homily children are to be brought not only to understanding the Biblical readings they hear, but also to responding to God’s Word by actual attitudes they take in their lives. In the content of the homily the preacher should first of all refer to sacred texts and the children’s life experience. He also must not forget about what decides about the identity of the homily as the homily, that is about its mystagogical function. Hence the goal of the homily in the Holy Mass, in which children participate, is actualization of God’s Word, aiming at helping the children to understand their own lives, at provoking the children’s attitudes responding to God’s Word they heard, and at inviting the children to follow Christ and to recognize the Lord who is present and who is active in the Eucharist. The basic types of homilies for children are: narrative homily, dialog homily and visualizing homily. The form of the homily should be adjusted to the children’s minds. Also the sacred character of liturgy whose integral part is the homily remains an important determinant.