
Should a Homily Be 'Academic'?
From Busted Halo Show w/Fr. Dave Dwyer by Fr. Dave Dwyer, CSP
April 20, 2026 · 11 min
About this episode
Father Dave discusses the nature of homilies and whether they should be academic or instructional based on a listener's question.
A listener named Brenda asks Father Dave about the content of a homily. "One Sunday, a priest was giving his homily and began to explain something. He added, 'The homily should not be academic,'" Brenda says. "I thought that 'academic' meant 'instructional.' Am I wrong to think that it is fine for a homily to be teaching us something? I really appreciate it when the priest gives us background information such as common practices in biblical times. The more I can learn, the happier I am."
People in this episode
Hosts: Fr. Dave, Fr. Dave Dwyer
Guest: Brenda
Topics covered
- homily
- academic
- teaching
- religion
- spirituality
- biblical practices
Keywords
- homily
- academic
- teaching
- religion
- spirituality
- biblical times
- background information
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