A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS ON THE HOMILY

OF THE LATE ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS RICARDO CARDINAL VIDAL

(8th National Convention of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines, April 16, 2010)

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement

In Discourse Writing and Analysis

The Graduate School

Cebu Technological University

Main Campus, R. Palma Street

Cebu City, Philippines

MA. RAGIE P. TABOTABO

Student

MRS. SHELALAINE ROMULO

Professor
 A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS ON THE HOMILY

OF THE LATE ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS RICARDO CARDINAL VIDAL

(8th National Convention of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines, April 16, 2010)

Textual analysis is a method used to describe and interpret the characteristics of a

recorded or visual message. Its purpose is to describe the content, structure, and functions of the

messages contained in texts (Frey, et.al., 225). This paper intends to study a written copy of the

homily of the late Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal during the opening Mass in the 8th

National Convention of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines on April 16, 2010. This analysis

seeks to find out the characteristics of his homily and whether it contains the identified features

of a homily as presented by some experts.

According to Waznak (70), during his twenty-five years of teaching homiletics to

ministerial students and also conducting preaching workshops for many dioceses and religious

orders in the United States, he was already exposed to a variety of homilies from many other

preachers. He listed six areas that needed special attention when making a homily. These are:

 Focus. If homilists, in their preparation, had come up with a clear, unified, and simple

focus statement for the homily, chances are that the listeners will offer a similar focus

statement when they are asked, “What was the homily about?”

 Method. A homily not carefully written often lacks a solid ending. It is as if the preacher

is a pilot who doesn’t know how to come in for a sure landing. This leads listeners to

confusion and distraction.

  Poetic Language. Preaching is a theological event but the language of preaching must not

only instruct but delight, inspire, and move listeners to faith. Also according to Hrbacek in

his blog, The Anatomy of a Great Homily, it should be natural, coming from the man’s

heart and not sound as though he is out of touch with the reality that I live.

 Use of the biblical texts. Vatican II’s renewal of the homily signaled a return to biblical

preaching: “All the preaching of the Church . . . should be nourished and ruled by Sacred

Scripture” (Dei Verbum, 21).

 Interpretation. Preaching would greatly improve if we begin to grasp the significance of

the homily as an interpretation of life in light of the Scriptures which leads the assembled

to “be able to worship God in spirit and truth, and then go forth to love and serve the

Lord” (FIYH, 19).

 Length. The Introduction of the 1981 Lectionary for Mass advises: “The homily . . . [should

be] neither too long nor too short” (24). Pope Francis has said is the homily shouldn’t be

too long because then it overburdens that part of the liturgy to the detriment of the rest

(Hcbacek).

By taking into consideration the six areas mentioned, homilists can improve in the central act

of ministry, the proclamation of the gospel (Waznak, 70-73).

In the homily of the late Archbishop Emeritus, he cordially welcomed the participants of the

National Conference in the Archdiocese of Cebu by saying “Dayon kamong tanan”, a Cebuano

phrase that reflects hospitality. In the first three to five sentences of the homily, he highlighted

the celebration and associated it as a timely event to be celebrated in Cebu for it was Cebu’s
Seventy-Fifth Year as an Archdiocese. His homily focused on the theme of the gathering which

was “VOLUNTEERISM: NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS”. From the beginning of his homily until

the end he maintained the idea which was to remind the Knights of Columbus about their mission

in the world.

Every time the late Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal Vidal shares his homily to the people, he is

always seen to be reading from his notes. Hence, we can say that all his homily are well prepared

and structured which gives a cohesive and coherent homily to the listeners. It does not leave the

people questioning about what he intends for them to know. His homily makes people ponder

on his message. The method of writing helps organize thoughts which in result becomes effective

in serving its purpose.

In his homily, he did not forget to include himself as one of the servants of God. He is not

detached to what is happening. When he included himself in the line, You now know, as much

as, or even better than I do, that you are “a council” in our Church, not just “a club” in the society.

He reminds them that they are together in the journey to serving people of God. Also, this line

(My Brother Knights: made for service, to care for all men and women and children, whoever they

are, wherever they may be.) suggests that he does not only intend to instruct the participants of

what they should do but rather through his choice of words he touches their emotional and

spiritual aspects.

His homily is very much nurtured by Biblical Scriptures as seen in the lines, From the Acts

of the Apostles, take home a lesson to live by. St. Luke says that the Apostles, who were “full of

joy that they had been judged worthy of ill-treatment for the sake of the name of Jesus day after
day, both in the temple and at home… never stopped teaching and proclaiming the Good News

of Jesus the Messiah.” and St. John tells us that the Apostles Philip and Andrew included,

“volunteered” to “get the people to recline” and they also “volunteered” to “gather up the crusts

that are left over”. A homily that is anchored and is backed up by Biblical Scriptures makes it

easier for people to believe what is being preached.

He did not only use biblical scriptures to support his statements but he also established a

connection between the scripture and reality (Your service, then, is charity, not just philanthropy.

Love of God and love of neighbor is your motive as well as your objective. Even if, or especially if

your neighbor is your “enemy” in the field of politics or in the arena of economics. Such “Love of

Neighbor” who may happen to be your enemy needs no funding, no financing, no force, either.

No fear and no fraud because it is free, it is voluntary, not motivated by love of money which is

greed.). By giving an interpretation of the scripture, he was able to impart the words of the Lord

in a meaningful way.

Lastly, the length of the homily is neither too long nor too short. It is just the right length that

does not make the listeners bored and does not make them feel that the priest is in a hurry to

finish the mass. Other experts may suggest that a homily should be kept short but relevant. The

most important thing is that a homily should be able to inspire and move people to live their lives

according to God’s word.

Considering all the features of an effective homily, it can be said that the homily of the late

Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal during the opening Mass in the 8th National
Convention of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines on April 16, 2010 was a valuable homily

that contains all the needed characteristics for a good and effective homily.

References:

Hrbacek, Dave. The anatomy of a great homily. June 7, 2016

Waznak, Rovert P., An Introduction to the Homily, Collegeville MN: The Liturgical Press,

1998, pp. 16-27

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.allentowndeac

ons.org/documents/2011%2520-

%25202012%2520Class%2520Handouts/FIVE%2520CHARACTERISTICS%2520OF%2520THE%25

20HOMILY_1.pdf

http://www.kofc.org/en/news/releases/vidal_homily_en.html
8th National Convention
of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines
Homily of His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal
Opening Mass
Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
Friday, April 16, 2010

My Brother Knights of Columbus from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao:

It is “with greater joy than ever in this ‘Easter Season’”… that I greet you all… and welcome you
to the Archdiocese of Cebu. I say in Cebuano: “Dayonkamongtanan!”
To hold your 8th KC National Convention, you could not have come to a better place, and at the
most opportune time.
I presume you know that this Year of our Lord, two-thousand ten, on April twenty-eight, Cebu
completes exactly its Seventy-Fifth Year as an Archdiocese.
The Archdiocese of Cebu, at 75, thank God in Santo Niño de Cebu and through Our Lady of
Guadalupe de Cebu, is now a bountiful place and a beautiful people live in it.
My dear Brother Knights:
I know that from this day on, there shall be a lot of talking and listening during this Convention,
all about “VOLUNTEERISM: NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS”.
From the Acts of the Apostles, take home a lesson to live by. St. Luke says that the Apostles, who
were “full of joy that they had been judged worthy of ill-treatment for the sake of the name of
Jesus day after day, both in the temple and at home… never stopped teaching and proclaiming
the Good News of Jesus the Messiah.”
They were not “forced” to do all that. Humbly and freely they “volunteered” to “preach and
proclaim” the “Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus” – not so much by what they believed as by how
they behaved. Like our Lord Jesus, they “volunteered” to heal the sick, they also “volunteered”
to “feed” the “hungry”.
St. John tells us that the Apostles Philip and Andrew included, “volunteered” to “get the people
to recline” and they also “volunteered” to “gather up the crusts that are left over”.
Like our Lord Jesus, who when he realized that the people would come and carry him off to make
Him King, fled back to the mountain alone, we can be sure that the Apostles also did the same,
after helping their neighbors by being their “servants.” They learned as they were taught to
“serve, and not to be served.”
My Brother Knights: made for service, to care for all men and women and children, whoever they
are, wherever they may be.
You now know, as much as, or even better than I do, that you are “a council” in our Church, not
just “a club” in the society.
Your service, then, is charity, not just philanthropy. Love of God and love of neighbor is your
motive as well as your objective. Even if, or especially if your neighbor is your “enemy” in the
field of politics or in the arena of economics. Such “Love of Neighbor” who may happen to be
your enemy needs no funding, no financing, no force, either. No fear and no fraud because it is
free, it is voluntary, not motivated by love of money which is greed.
It may interest you to know that, whereas St. Paul has said that “love of money is the root of all
evil,” we Filipinos say that love of money is the root of only the half of the evil in the Philippines.
The lack of money is the root of the other half, meaning, among other things, that here in our
country, in our society, it is greed that we must try to find, face, fight and finish. And at the same
time, it is need that we must strive to meet and minimize, as much as we can, and as far as we
go. Let us, then, “volunteer” as good neighbors to help the needy, even as we try to stop the
greedy.
Remember, the greedy may be few, but the needy are many, and the many poor we try to
alleviate but not to eliminate. The many poor we volunteer to help that they may help
themselves… with the industries that we disperse with the jobs we offer, with the salaries that
we give on time, with the prices of commodities that we put up, together with the scholarships
we grant to the deserving.
May God bless you, my brother Knights.
May your convention be not just a “NATO” – that is, “No Action, Talk Only.”