Fire in the pulpit: Envisioning and encouraging prophetic preachin

Grounded in the belief that the parish priest is called to be a source of prophetic challenge to the Church and the culture through his preaching, this project offers a resource for the encouragement of today's Catholic priest in his role as a prophetic preacher. Chapter One begins by exploring the tradition of prophetic proclamation reflected in the writings of the classical biblical prophets in order to present a description of prophetic preaching. Chapter Two examines the psychological, ecclesial, and cultural factors that may potentially encourage or discourage prophetic preaching for the Catholic priest today. Eight essential elements for the encouragement of vibrant prophetic preaching in today's Church are identified in Chapter Three. The chapter then considers the experience of both priests and laity with prophetic preaching in light of these elements by interpreting data gathered through surveys and focus group sessions conducted for this project. Drawing on the insight gathered from these first three chapters, Chapter Four presents a resource for the encouragement of prophetic preaching among today's priests in the form of a written article. This article examines six perspectives on prophetic preaching which are rooted in the biblical tradition of prophecy, accompanied by practical considerations for preaching and two sample homilies.