The flavour of a layman’s homily

Okay! Fact: A layperson cannot give a homily. The word “homily’ is so tired to the meaning of the Holy Mass and to the identity of the ordained minister that no other person other than a bishop, a priest or a deacon, should give a homily during Mass.

However, at a liturgical assembly that does not involve the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, a member of the laity may offer a “meditation” or a “reflection” on the word of God. Perhaps, this is why Martin Jumbam uses the caption “Catholic Meditations” for his soul-rending reflections on the Sunday readings. reflection, homily or meditation… Mr. Jumbam’s radio preaching remains a trustworthy voice that nourishes my soul on Sunday mornings, even before I go out to begin my day as a priest. The fact that he ends each of his meditations with an intercessory prayer gives me the rare feeling of being an ordinary Christian on Sunday morning, before the priest that I am.

For a number of years now, this layman of Douala Archdiocese has been conquering English-speaking airwaves around Douala. In recent times, his personal blog on the Internet - www.martinjumbam.net - has taken him beyond Douala and Cameroon.

Initially, I listened to Mr. Jumbam out of admiration for his spiritual courage of broadcasting his faith. I also tuned to his voice on radio for the intellectual pleasure of guessing what commentary he had used for his meditations. But today, I must confess, I read Mr. Jumbam online next to Marie Noël Thabut, another layperson: a French woman who also offers breathtaking meditations on the Sunday readings.

I have come to realise that Mr. Jumbam, and his likes in the art, approach Bible passages and explain them in very unique ways that as a priest, I will have to make an extra effort to do the same. I am talking about their choice of words and examples, which are often seasoned by the practical details of living at the other side of the pulpit and altar. A layperson that takes up the task of sharing God’s Word, under the Church’s guidance and training, naturally enriches the preaching ministry precisely because he or she is lay.

This has nothing to do with preaching a new gospel or finding new interpretations to God’s words. Far from it! Rather, it has to do with expressing familiar truths and the Church’s teachings in words that carry their full meanings because of the experiences of the one that says them. I have never forgotten the reflection of a lay person in a small Christian community I once attended, who started his sharing of the Word by describing in detail the mixed feeling of joy and frustrations of parents when children are home on holiday. Parents and children were glued to his lips as he spoke.

Mr. Jumbam, for example, has the ability to provide basic lessons about the Bible within his weekly meditations. Consider his introduction to a First Reading: “There are two books of Kings in the Bible, commonly known as First and Second Kings. The African Bible (1999) tells us that the two Books of Kings cover about four centuries of Israel’s history, marked by three main events…”

In a similar way he introduces every key concept in the readings or in the liturgy. Whereas, for regular priestly preachers like us, it is easy to assume that people have basic knowledge on the text they will be preaching on. I am convinced that it takes a man from the other side of the pulpit; one who has often suffered through complex long homilies, sometimes experiencing a sense of loss rather than of instruction, to do otherwise, and spontaneously so.

Unlike Marie Noël Thabut, who is a scripture scholar and seasons her meditations with specialised knowledge on the Bible, Mr. Jumbam’s simple-down-to-earth style tells who he is: a translator, a language specialist; above all a Christian. If I am not mistaken, he has never been to a theological school. According to his own written testimony, twenty (20) years ago he was everything but an enlightened Christian. But today, moulded by faith and hard work, he is a competent lay translator of God’s Word who, like the scribes of the Kingdom in Mathew’s gospel, is called to bring the new out of the old, for God’s greater glory (cf. Mt 13:51-52).

As such, Mr. Jumbam is a beacon to many lay people who today are interested in theological sciences and are enrolled into Catholic Universities and institutes to study theology. Beyond the motif of deepening the understanding of their faith, lay people need to understand and lay claim on a prerogative that is theirs, according to the Second Vatican Council, that of being the Church’s most eloquent voice and of her teachings in ways and places that are not accessible to the ordained clergy.

By Fr. Michel Tchoumbou