Letter 22
To my brother in the pastoral ministry,
The question of how to preach effectively to a congregation that includes both the educated and the uneducated is one every bishop and priest wrestles with. I want to share what I have found.
The temptation is to pitch the preaching at the middle — not so demanding that the educated are unchallenged, not so simple that the uneducated are lost. In practice this often means preaching that challenges no one and nourishes no one.
What I have found works better is to preach concretely and narratively, letting the story do the theological work rather than explaining the theology abstractly. The story of the prodigal son does not require explanation; it requires imagination and attention. If it is told well — with the specific details that make it live — it will reach the learned and the unlearned alike, and each will take from it what they are ready for.
The theological content can come in specific instruction sessions for those who want more depth. But the homily itself should be accessible to everyone present without feeling condescending to anyone.
I know this is easier to describe than to execute. I have many sermons that failed at it. But the few that succeeded confirmed for me that it is the right approach.
Your brother in the ministry,
Desiderius
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.