Fr. John Kavanagh, S.J., who has written powerfully and consistently about the way of a Christian in the midst of a consumer culture, has a good piece in America about preaching, prompted by the Wright/Obama business. He essentially says – preachers who draw too much attention to themselves need to step back a bit.

As a preacher myself, I know there are few moments to compare with the affection and approval of parishioners after Mass, especially if you have been helpful in strengthening their faith. But the most distressing moment for me was the one homily I gave that evoked applause. Of course, it was gratifying; but it was disturbing. What was the applause for? The Gospel? The Eucharist? Maybe the stirring indictment of both church and state? Or for me?
There are many styles of preaching. But I have always felt a suspicion of styles that call too much attention to the preacher, whether by extravagant display or studied hyperbole. This becomes particularly dangerous when “preaching to the choir,” who applaud your indictments of everyone but the choir.
The priest preacher is a mediator. The danger is that the mediator can become the message. If the preacher is short on self-knowledge and personal restraint, his own preaching becomes, sadly, more important even than the Eucharist itself or, in non-eucharistic congregations, more important than even the Gospel. The preacher becomes the message. And that is disastrous.

(h/t CMR)

(Years ago, Fr. Kavanagh came to speak at a high school in which I was teaching. I can’t imagine how or why this philosophy professor from St. Louis ended up in Lakeland, Florida. It must have been my first year there or so, for I don’t recall having anything to do with it – perhaps he was speaking in parishes in the diocese – I don’t know. Anyway, his presentation was centered on trying to get the kids to be more aware of the power of the culture over them. Of course, as they always are when such things are discussed, their response was to roll eyes and declare, “Are you kidding? Commercials..all that…doesn’t have any power over me. I just buy what I want ’cause I like it…” Because teenagers are superhuman and stuff with iron wills of their own…like the rest of us.)