Angela DeFinis of DeFinis Communications recently asked me to participate in a “Blog Carnival” she organized on the topic of “Public Speaking and the Holidays.” Unfortunately, because I recently moved and am operating still in the midst of unpacked boxes and unorganized spaces, I wasn’t able to meet her deadline.
However, I loved the topic and decided to write about it here.
When I think of “public speaking and the holidays,” I think about my current priests and the many wonderful priests I’ve known down through the years whose sermons – religious speeches – I’ve listened to over many a holiday season.
Priests from my childhood also bring up funny memories. When I was little, my brother and I, in our hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, would go to the neighborhood movie theater every Saturday afternoon. On the way home, we’d pass our church, St. Joseph’s, and stop in for confession. In those days, there was always a line at the confessional, especially around Christmas.
While waiting in line one Saturday afternoon, our youthful parish priest, Father Vince, bolted from his side of the confessional, drew back the curtain on the other side and grabbed the young boy there by the collar. We heard him exclaim, “You did that??!!” as he dragged him outside. We heard further yelling from the vestibule and when Father Vince returned, sans boy, several of us stepped quietly over to the line served by the pastor.
Some years later, I was at choir rehearsal with a new priest, Father Dan. He was given to bragging a bit about his musical knowledge and experience at choir leadership. “I was a conductor, you know,” he once said. When I relayed this to my mom, she replied, “Yes, on the trolley.”
But I digress.
One of the sermons I most vivily recall was given by Monsignor DuPre, the elderly pastor of my childhood church. I must have been in my late teens or early 20’s at the time. I was in a lonely place, feeling unloved and unlovable, when Monsignor said, “When it seems as if no one loves you, remember Christ loves you. When you feel alone and broken, know that Christ will comfort you. When you are in a dark place, know that Christ is the light of the world.”
All these years later, I remember those words and the hope and peace they gave and continue to give me.
Sermons are speeches priests give every day of the week. Like speeches given by executives, sermons often illuminate a problem, describe a solution and give a call to action. Unlike the speeches we write for our executives, they are not exhortations to buy a product, clobber the competition or work “smarter.”
The speeches we hear from the pulpit are the antithesis of this. They are about letting go of earthly things, sacrificing to help those in need, keeping our eyes on the prize.
And so, the “speeches” I most identify with the holidays are not the pronouncements of a president or a potentate, but the speeches of my priests and of Linus in a “Charlie Brown Christmas,” who reminded us, in the poetry of the King James Bible, what Christmas is all about:
“And there were in the same country shepherds
abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock
by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round
about them: and they were sore afraid. And
the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with
the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Hands down, that’s best speech I ever heard.
Merry Christmas.
Inspired by the “Public Speaking and The Holidays” blog carnival. Check it out at: http://www.definiscommunications.com/blog/public-speaking-and-the-holidays/
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