Preaching the Poetry of the Gospels

Can an understanding of the poetics of the Gospels, together with a reading of poetry inspired by them, make the homily an art form as compelling as a poetry performance? In Preaching the Poetry of the Gospels, Elizabeth Michael Boyle, O.P., offers a preaching guide to the Sunday Lectionary using the insights of poets to enliven and elicit more powerful homilies. Preaching the Poetry of the Gospels demonstrates that not only the Fourth Gospel but also the Synoptics can be read with special understanding when they are interpreted as narrative poetry. For the Sundays of Advent, Holy Family, Epiphany, Lent and Easter, as well as the special days of the Immaculate Conception, Christmas Eve and Day, Ash Wednesday, the Triduum, the Holy Trinity, and the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the author offers a poet's reflection on the literary devices in the liturgical texts, and a gathering of poems about the gospel event. Chapters are "Incarnation: Advent to Epiphany," "Redemption: Ash Wednesday through Holy Week," "Resurrection: The Sundays of Easter," "Transformation: Ascension to Trinity Sunday," and "Reclaiming the Poetry of Ordinary Time."