Preaching a conviction than a sermon

The other day while at the Jubilee celebrations of the MSFS Priests and Brother at Vizag, the one preaching the sermon told a story about Psalm 23. I had heard it before but this time it struck me for one particular reason: the futility of verbosity in preaching and the power of genuine witnessing.

The anecdote is as follows:

A famous entertainer was once asked to recite the 23rd Psalm in a performance. A large audience filled the large auditorium. After he finished everyone gave him a generous round of applause. After this an old man was asked to present the same Psalm. When he finished there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Everyone was touched by his devotion to the Shepherd. The entertainer came back to continue the program. Before starting the program he said, I know the Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd!

I wish all the Priests, Preachers and especially my Seminarians realise this: that every word counts when uttered from the heart. If something has not touched us, how on earth will it change or affect those who listen to us preaching about it?