ASK FATHER: Mini homilies at the beginning of Mass
From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
I have a question, it seems to be very common for priests to give a sort of mini-homily at the very beginning of Mass. This has always annoyed me very much, but I have not been able to tell if it is a liturgical abuse or something that is permitted by the Novus Ordo Missal, as I understand how strange it would be for a priest to turn around and give this briefing at the foot of the altar in the Extraordinary Form.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal 50 states,
“After the greeting of the people, the Priest, or the Deacon, or a lay minister may very briefly introduce the faithful to the Mass of the day”.
That’s leaves a certain amount of latitude. The “very briefly” statement would seem to exclude any kind of a “mini-homily.” The intention of the Instruction seems to mean something along the lines of:
“Today we commemorate St. Christina the Astonishing, who was known to seek solitude by praying in a heated oven. May her devotion inspire our own.”
GIRM 50 doesn’t seem to allow for much more than that.
