The Grace and Task of Preaching

What is the point of preaching? Does it bore God as well as the hearers? Is it ever possible to preach helpfully on moral questions? Can preaching learn anything from adult education? How does preaching relate to a life of prayer or contemplation? Why did Vatican II insist on the value of liturgical preaching? What example can preachers take from the preaching of Jesus? How does preaching relate to critical biblical study? How does one preach on global issues? This is but a sample of the questions addressed by a team of scholars from Ireland, Britain, the USA, the Philippines, South Africa and Australia, in The Grace and Task of Preaching. Among the 18 contributors are Timothy Radcliffe, Mary Catherine Hilkert, and Albert Nolan. These authors, skilled in biblical studies, theology and history, and personally committed to the duty and craft of preaching, help explore the implications of what the preacher attempts to do. They recognise both the challenge and the joy of having a part in the grace and task of preaching. These essays are prepared and published as a tribute to Damian Byrne, O.P. (1929-1996), eighty-third successor to St Dominic in the post of Master of the Order of Preachers.