Preaching 101, by Randall Smith

We recently celebrated the 700^th anniversary of Thomas Aquinas’s canonization, which took place on 14 July 1323 in the “Palace of the Popes” in Avignon.  This was during what has sometimes been called “The Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy,” when seven successive popes resided in Avignon, France, rather than in Rome. Later, sadly, there would be a schism, leading to a period where there were multiple claimants to the papal office.  This problem was not entirely resolved until the Council of Constance in 1417.  It’s always good to keep these things in mind when we imagine things are worse now than they’ve ever been.

I was reminded of this anniversary a short while ago when someone asked me about Thomas’s preaching.  Thomas was, as is generally well known, a member of the Dominicans, “the Order of Preachers” founded by St. Dominic.  Why an order of preachers?  Well, at the beginning of the thirteenth century, there was very little preaching done for laypeople in the Church. …

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