Love, life and imagination

A beautiful preaching

The above mentioned quotes connected to preaching comes from two people belonging to important traditions in the Catholic Church, the Franciscan and the Dominican. Preaching has an intimate connection to life and to love.

Tragedy happens when one or both is missing. When connection to life is mixing, it is hypocrisy. When the link to love is forgotten, it becomes too arid, impersonal and rule based.

If we are asked for the best preaching of Jesus, there are several options. Parables and some interactions of Jesus are my preferred ones. Take the case of Jesus forgiving the woman caught in adultery (Jn 8) or Jesus talking to the disciples on the way to Emmaus (Lk 24) or the parable of the prodigal son (Lk 15). Preaching happens in all these cases, but its very much rooted in love; it considers (gives extreme importance) the life of the person to whom it’s preached. This preacher’s life is again a preaching. And such preaching brings transformation.

We say preaching has to be creative; the faculty of imagination is also important to love. Or when life, love and imagination goes together, it becomes a wonderful preaching