The mystical theologian Adrienne Von Speyr (1902-1967), whom I regard as the mother of my theology of preaching, teaches us to pray. In With God and With Men, a collection of her prayers, Von Speyr offers a prayer entitled, “Before the Sermon” (see bottom of page). In this essay, I will examine this prayer’s structure, provide a theological overview, and explore some of the implications for the theology of preaching.

Structure

When we look at the structure of this prayer, Von Speyr begins by invoking the preaching ministry of Jesus, “When you preached on earth, Lord.” Then follow six petitions. The first is a petition for the preacher, “Lord, bless now the words of the preacher.” The second petition, “But give to us, his hearers,” asks for a blessing for the assembly. Unity is the theme of the third petition, “Instead let the hour become a holy hour,” requesting that hearers and the preacher experience a spiritual union. The fourth petition, which includes, “allow it to work in us,” calls for transformation, while the fifth petition, “Let us not forget,” appeals for remembrance and edification. The sixth and final petition is for mission and calls for a new life of faith and prayer. In summary, the prayer invokes the preaching ministry of Jesus and prays for the preacher, the assembly, for unity, transformation, remembrance and edification, and empowerment for mission.

The organization of this prayer both reveals and supports the rich theological content. In the next section, I will provide an overview of the major theological themes embedded in this text.

Theological Overview

Prayer texts, like preaching texts, reflect theological and pastoral commitments. In this section, I will explore the theological depths of Von Speyr’s prayer, “Before the Sermon.” The prayer’s structure provides the basis for this exploration.

The opening of the text is rooted in the Christological image of Jesus the Preacher. Von Speyr begins with Christ, who reveals the face of the Father and proclaims the profound mystery of his identity and mission in the categories of daily life. She offers an implicit homiletical Christology in which Jesus reaches hearts, moves or transforms them, and invites the hearers to discipleship and mission. At the very beginning of this prayer, Von Speyr proclaims the power of Jesus’ preaching and, by extension, proposes the power of liturgical preaching.

The power of liturgical preaching, which is not the only form of preaching in the Church, is exercised by those who have received the mission to preach through the sacrament of Holy Orders. The theological framework that Von Speyr commences with Christology now moves into the theology of ministry and Orders. In asking for the blessing of the preacher, the prayer appeals for three “forgettings.” The prayer begs for the preacher to have the grace to forget himself, forget his unworthiness, and forget his goals and plans. In forgetting himself, the preacher joins with St. John the Baptist who seeks to decrease so that Christ may increase. In forgetting his own unworthiness, the preacher stands with St. Juan Diego at Tepeyac, St. Bernadette at Lourdes, with St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Augustine, and every preacher who has gazed with reverential fear at the prospect of speaking the Word of the Lord. Homiletical humility is not a virtue limited to the sacrament of Orders, but one that must certainly be exercised by those in Orders. Extending the forgetting of self and unworthiness, Von Speyr petitions for the preacher to forget his goals, plans, and intentions. The preacher is invited to join with St. Joseph, with Our Lady, with St. Luke, St. Peter, St. Paul, and all those whose lives and plans have been interrupted and transformed by the call of God. The mission to preach requires a frequent and personal renunciation of power because the words preached are surrendered to the hearers for their reception and interpretation. The grace of forgetting oneself, one’s unworthiness, and one’s goals, plans, and intentions is begged of Jesus and made possible by the gift of the Spirit.

The invocation of the Spirit, located near the center of the prayer, links the prayer for the preacher and the prayer for the hearers. Von Speyr invites the Spirit to “pervade” the preacher to become “a true mediator.” In this Pneumatological (Spirit-focused) section, she appeals for “a good spirit” for the hearers so that they may listen to the word and engage in their own acts of “forgetting.” The acts of the hearers correspond to the acts of forgetting by the preacher examined above.

With the petition for the hearers, Von Speyr transitions from Pneumatology to the theology of the assembly, part of ecclesiology. As the Church responds to the kenotic (self-emptying) gift of Christ, the hearers respond to the kenotic gift of the preacher to receive the preached word. To be truly receptive, the members of the assembly must forget their criticism, their preferences, and even their opinion of the preacher. The hearers engage in a frequent and personal renunciation of preference in order to receive the words of the sermon.

The personal renunciation of the preacher and the hearers allows them to be united in the Spirit. A theology of unity, also within the scope of ecclesiology, reflects the unity of the hearers and the preacher, who are configured to Christ and to each other through their two participations in the one priesthood of Christ. In a similar way to the royal priests and the ministerial priest joining together to offer the sacrifice on the altar, the royal priests and the ministerial priest are united in the homiletical act. Preaching is relational and builds the relationship between the preacher and the hearers.

In the relationship between the hearers and the preacher, the hearers engage in active reception. The hearers welcome the Word. The Word works within them. They carry the word and that builds the Church in their lives. While Von Speyr does not make a specific reference here to Our Lady, these are certainly Marian dispositions and actions. Von Speyr’s Mariological move in this prayer unites the spiritual and the concrete. The words of the sermon spoken by the preacher are received and incarnated in the daily lives of the hearers. The grace of the sermon extends through the week.

The extension of sermonic grace continues through memory. The theological importance of memory includes the liturgical anamnesis and the memory of homiletical content. Reflection and memory precede building. It is important to note that, for Von Speyr, the memory that builds is the memory not of knowledge, but of love. The memory of the love experienced in the homily is what builds.

The concluding section of the prayer demonstrates both a theology of mission and eschatology. Von Speyr prays for present light, future glory, and for this homily to deepen faith and strengthen prayer and service in love.

Von Speyr offers an abundance of theological riches in this prayer. From the Christological starting point to the concluding focus on the Church’s mission here on earth and our ultimate destiny in the afterlife, several of the great themes of systematic theology dwell in this oration. The theological categories resident in this prayer offer several insights for development in the theology of preaching.

Theology of Preaching

The systematic theologian performs the task of rendering intelligible the data of divine revelation and magisterial teaching. The homiletical theologian seeks to render those same sources preachable and receivable. In her prayer “Before the Sermon,” Von Speyr provides a banquet for the homiletical theological feast. Among the main dishes on the table are the role of the preacher, the role of the hearer, and the mission and potential of the homily.

The role of the preacher occupies a critical space in the theology of preaching. There are questions of identity, authority, technique, training, mission, and a myriad of other issues. The preacher envisioned in this prayer is blessed by an encounter with Christ which is facilitated by continual personal renunciation. The preacher divests himself of his privileged position in order to offer an acceptable sacrifice in the sermon. The preacher speaks a word that is awaited in hope and “laden with…love” and “filled with…wisdom.” The preacher possesses, as one who has stewardship, the love of Christ and the wisdom of the Spirit. The preacher speaks a word of hope from the pulpit because his ministry beyond the pulpit cultivates hope. The preacher envisioned and expected in Von Speyr’s prayer is a priest or deacon filled with a love that flows from encountering Christ and his people. He is filled with love through kenotic renunciation that conforms him and confirms him in hope. This preacher, a man burning with hope, offers words that are received in hope by the hearers.

The role of the hearers also holds a central place in the theology of preaching. As Von Speyr prays, the hearer holds the position of control. The hearer determines what content will be received and what aspects of presentation will be effective. The petition for the hearers and for unity, transformation, and mission all hinge on homiletical receptivity. This means that a critical component of homiletical effectiveness or fruitfulness is within the control of the hearer. And that also means that the hearer must be respected, honored, and loved if the preacher expects his words to be heard, received, accepted, and effective. The hearer, envisioned and expected in Von Speyr’s prayer, receives in hope the words of the homily, which are offered in love.

The homily offers words of hope flowing through love. The nature, mission, and power of the homily, as expressed throughout this prayer text, is to unify, edify, vivify, and sanctify. The homily has the power to bring a community together, especially in moments of crisis. Preaching can build a community and bring life. Ultimately, the homily and the ministry of preaching leads to holiness, to a deeper union with Christ, a more fervent participation in the sacraments, and a more expansive expression of charity. The power that preaching has is the power for which Von Speyr prays.

Invitation to Mystery

The prayer of Adrienne Von Speyr, “Before the Sermon,” invites us into the mystery of preaching. She provides us with a rich feast of theological delicacies and offers us an encounter with the preacher, the hearers, and the anticipated fruits of the homily. Her prayer presents another source for theological reflection on the ministry and mystery of preaching. When we pray with her, and make her words our own, we can hear the echo of the preaching of Jesus Christ who invites us to follow and live for him.

Before the Sermon

When you preached on earth, Lord you found the divine words that were able to reach the hearts of your hearers. Your truth moved them deeply and prompted them to follow you and to live for you.

Lord, bless now the words of the preacher. Allow him to forget himself, his mediocrity, the effect he would like to produce, so that he can speak solely and in all truth of you and your doctrine.

So that he can say the things all his listeners await, something that truly comes from you, laden with your love, filled with your wisdom, which is not the wisdom of this world.

Grant, Lord, that the Holy Spirit may pervade him, so that he may become a true mediator of your word. But give to us, his hearers, a good spirit, so that we may really hear your word and not simply indulge our mania for criticism—in our irritation at the mediocrity of what he has said and at the faulty manner in which he expressed it—to the point where we see only the preacher and his weakness, and nothing more of your word and Spirit.

Instead, let this hour become a holy hour in which the mediator and the hearer are united in your Spirit.

Help us to welcome your word as the living word of God and allow it to work in us, so that we may take it home with us; so that a bit of the Church may spring up wherever we are; so that our week may be filled with the gift your grace gives us today.

Let us not forget what we have heard but rather build on it; give us the love it takes to build, let this love work in us. Remain the light of our days, become the goal of our love, and bestow on us through this homily a new life in your faith, a life that is both prayer and work in your love.
Amen.

^{_{(Adrienne von Speyr, With God and With Men: Prayers Ignatius ©1995)}}