Prepare for Sunday Mass

By Fr. Mike Boutin - -July 6, 2009

Next Sunday, July 12th, is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The color for Ordinary Time is green.

Here are the readings for next Sunday: http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/071209.shtml

Here are a few good sites for exegesis (an explanation of what the biblical texts are trying to say):
http://www.textweek.com/yearb/properb10.htm
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/jul12.htm

When I am preparing to preach, my process includes a number of pieces: 1) prayer with the scriptures; 2) a weekly Bible study with parishioners on Tuesday morning that forces me to interact with the texts before Friday; 3) looking at a few different "homily helps" not in order to use a canned homily (honestly, I've never done that), but instead, sometimes to find a different angle, or a starter story, or some particularly useful insight. The sources I use include:

Celebration: http://www.celebrationpublications.org/ Published by NCR, this is my favorite homily preparation type service, though it describes itself as a "comprehensive worship resource." It is an ecumenical and multi-cultural resource, has very fine scriptural scholarship and homily starters, interesting and useful articles and features, a daily Mass supplement. Overall, a lot of liturgical and preaching bang for your hard-earned buck!

Prepare the Word: http://www.PrepareTheWord.com This is an online resource published by True Quest, whose strongest asset is Alice Camille, one of its writers, but whose weakest link, unfortunately, is customer service and subscriptions.

Connections: www.connections-mediaworks.com Published by Media Works and edited by Jay Cormier, this is a great resource: a couple of short stories, fables, news events that relate (some more, some not quite so much!), but which provide only a springboard for your own preaching.

This Sunday's Scripture: www.23rdpublications.com Published by Twenty Third Publications along with Celebration, this is one of my favorites in the realm of homily prep. Good exegesis and pastoral application, and some useful homily starters. This resource is grounded in a prayerful weeklong approach to the Sunday scriptures and preaching.

General Liturgical Resources:
cf Living Liturgy 2009 http://www.litpress.org/Detail.aspx?ISBN=9780814627464
Companion to the Calendar: http://www.amazon.com/Companion-Calendar-Mary-Ellen-Hynes/dp/1568540116

General Preaching Links and helpful resources:
http://www.preachingcoalition.org/
http://www.domcentral.org/preach/cathresources.htm
http://www.catholiclinks.org/homiliasenglish.htm

Preaching the Lectionary
http://www.amazon.com/Preaching-Lectionary-Word-Church-Today/dp/0814613519

Jerome Biblical Commentary: http://www.amazon.com/Jerome-Biblical-Commentary-paperback- reprint/dp/0138598363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245320289&sr=1-1

St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology http://www.salvationhistory.com/

http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_category/38/Catholic_Bible_Study.html

http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com/2007/01/scripture-commentary-by-fr-william-g.html