Author: Father Albert

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter: One With The Father

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Easter Sunday 4, C                                                                                                     May 8, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/EjmRKNmKjLU He didn’t smell very good and he was only half-covered by the hospital gown. Introvert that I am, I was already timid and uncomfortable simply entering his room – this stranger in a dimly lit room to which I was sent as a kind of hospital chaplain intern. I was not enjoying the experience, I was not exactly happy to do it, and I wanted to get out of there. Then… something happened. It's hard to...Read More

Pastor Column: Summi Pontificatus

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[Note: This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article from the bulletin of May 8, 2022]      In 1939, not long after Pope Pius XII was elected pope, he wrote his first encyclical titled Summi Pontificatus, which translates to “Supreme Pontificate.” This document was meant to set a tone for his pontificate and so he used those words in the title. The subtitle, however, tells us what this particular document is about: On the Unity of Human Society.      Like most encyclicals, this one begins with a rather lengthy introduction summarizing recent events and documents and praising God...Read More

Pastor Column: Pope Pius XII

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[Note: This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article from the bulletin of May 1, 2022]      We’ve wrapped up most of the encyclicals written by Pope Pius XI, so now we move on to Pope Pius XII. Born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli on March 2 1876, he was raised in a very devout family in Rome. The Pacellis had historic connections to the papacy with a number of ancestors who served in important positions under previous popes.      Once he turned 18, Eugenio Pacelli entered seminary in Rome to begin training for the priesthood. He was...Read More

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter/1st Communion: Feed My Lambs

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Easter Sunday 3, C                                                                                                     May 1, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/lmOcV7lnrxU One Hundred Million. That’s how many angels John describes here. The second reading is from Revelation, where John is having a vision of heaven. Our translation says they were “countless,” but the literal Greek is “ten thousand ten thousands and thousands of thousands.” That’s at least 100 million. Of course, it’s kind of like when kids say “a million million.” What matters isn’t the literal number, but that it’s really big, countless even. What are all...Read More

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday: The Point of the Power

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Divine Mercy Sunday                                                                                                 April 24, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/Z1VOiVY0vNk What’s the point? Of this passage I mean. If, as so many people say, that we can just confess our sins directly to God, why would Jesus bother to give his Apostles the authority to forgive sins? “Whoever’s sins you forgive are forgiven them, but don’t worry about it because they can just confess directly to me and so you’ll never use this power.” Is that what people think Jesus is doing here? Of course not! There...Read More

Homily for Easter: The Authority to Love, Triduum Pt. 3

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Easter Vigil                                         Part 3 of Triduum 2022                                  April 16, 2022Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette [See part 1 here] [See part 2 here] https://youtu.be/laRr7ujxiyk Thursday night, we began the most sacred time of the year – the Paschal Triduum – and began also an extended reflection on the meaning of freedom and authority revealed in the life and death of Jesus Christ. Through the washing of the disciples feet and the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood, we saw that authority is truly a service to the people over whom it is wielded....Read More

Homily for Good Friday: The Authority to Love, Triduum Pt 2.

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Good Friday of the Lord's Passion     Part 2 of Triduum 2022                                  April 15, 2022Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette [See part 1 here] [See part 3 here] https://youtu.be/sXt3xI3VWEI The authority to love. That’s how we defined freedom last night as we began this paschal journey. Jesus, aware that the Father has put everything in his power, used that power to serve, to wash the feet of his disciples, to institute the sacraments of the Eucharist and the priesthood while also foreshadowing the sacrament of confession. Even while washing their feet, Jesus continued to give commands,...Read More

Homily for Holy Thursday: The Authority to Love, Triduum pt 1.

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Mass of the Lord's Supper                  Part 1 of Triduum 2022                                  April 14, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette [See part 2 here] [See part 3 here] https://youtu.be/tzTHradX2h0 What is freedom? What is authority? What is power? As we enter into the most sacred time of the year – the Paschal Triduum – I return to my custom of offering a prolonged reflection on a theme. Over these three homilies – today, tomorrow, and for Easter – we will, with God’s help, explore the meaning of freedom and authority. And it starts right here with...Read More

Pastor Column: Divine Mercy

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[Note: This is not the Sunday Homily. That can be found under "Homilies" on the website]      In the 1930s in Poland, a young nun named Faustina began to receive extraordinary messages from Jesus. He asked her to record them in a book that is today known as The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. It covers many things, but perhaps the most famous is the message of divine mercy, the Image of Diving Mercy, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy that is based upon it.      The message is pretty straightforward: God loves us and He wants us to...Read More

Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent: The Seriousness of Sin

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Lent Sun 5, C                                                                                                  April 3, 2022Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/QgizjQEXI7Y Imagine if this scenario went a bit differently. Let’s say Jesus was walking through Jerusalem and came across a small group of people. Let’s say one of them was this woman who had committed adultery and that someone else in the group casually mentioned that fact and then, after some awkward moments, the rest of the group walks away and Jesus is left alone with the woman. He then looks at her and says, “don’t worry about your past, just try to...Read More