As one whose duty is to proclaim the word of God, the homilist must necessarily be a person with a deep love of the Scriptures and one whose spirituality is profoundly shaped by God’s word. This entails being someone who habitually immerses himself in the language, stories, rhythms, speech patterns, and ethos of the Scriptures. The words of the Bible should be readily at hand and often on his lips; he should commit important passages of Scripture to memory and have a sure grasp of the narrative thrust of the entire Bible. His Bible should be near at hand, carrying it with him when he travels or perhaps staying linked to it by computer or other mobile technology. He may bring it with him when he prays before the Blessed Sacrament.
Preaching the Mystery of Faith p. 34