Author: Father Albert

Homily for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Faith That Saves

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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   October 9, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/asAMCTLUiWI “Your faith has saved you.” Has it? Has your faith saved you? Maybe that’s a strange question for Catholics to hear, reminiscent of the protestant who inquires “have you been saved?” And yet, it is a worthy question. The fact that Jesus says it to some and not to others leaves us wondering what is the fate of those who have not been told this. Just last week we considered what faith is and isn’t, acknowledging that...Read More

Pastor Column: Mediator Dei V

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[Note: This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article for the bulletin of October 2, 2022]      After last week’s financial report, we return to our journey through Mediator Dei by Pope Pius XII, written in 1947. We left off with the pope’s reminder to spend time in personal prayer after the Mass. Again, I encourage everyone to make this a regular practice and to observe reverence inside the Church so that people can pray (you can talk in the vestibule/foyer, just try not to talk in the middle of the Church).      Now Pope Pius moves onto...Read More

Homily for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time: What Faith Isn’t

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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   October 2, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/LlcdLUKsOB4 It’s not just willpower, you know. Faith is not stirring up some kind interior resolve to summon mystical powers and do the impossible. When Jesus gives this example of the mustard seed moving the mulberry tree, he doesn’t mean that if you dig down enough and just believe in yourself, you can levitate giant trees into the ocean. You see, faith is not just willpower or self-confidence. Faith is a virtue. Now, I say that – “faith...Read More

Homily for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, C: Worries of Wealth

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26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 25, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/j3869UiivJk There’s not much room for soft balling here: Jesus talks about caring for the poor so much and there’s only so many ways to rephrase it. So, I’ll keep it pretty straightforward. Care for the poor or you will go to hell. The rich man didn’t kill anyone. It doesn’t say that he lied or stole or cheated or commit adultery or skip church. It simply says he was rich and comfortable while Lazarus was poor. Then...Read More

Pastor Column: Mediator Dei IV

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[Note: This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article for the bulletin of Sept 18, 2022]      Continuing our journey through Mediator Dei, we pick up with the pope teaching us that it is good for the lay people to become familiar with the Roman Missal. The missal is the book which the priest uses for Mass. In particular, he means it is good for the laity to have some grasp of what is going on and that various resources can be used to help them do that, including the use of books to help follow along. Remember...Read More

Homily for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Whom You Serve

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25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 18, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/skWhxMdJTgY What just happened? If you were a little confused by that parable, you’re not alone. Most scripture scholars agree that this is the most confusing parable Jesus tells. Of course, that’s part of what parables are for: to confuse us a little and make us think. Still, what happened? The basic story of the parable is this: a man stole from his boss and when he got caught, he stole from him again, but did it in...Read More

Pastor Column: Mediator Dei III

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[Note: This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article for the bulletin of Sep 11, 2022]           Focusing in on the Eucharist, Pope Pius XII notes that “the nature of men requires” a “visible sacrifice.” This sacrifice is “no mere empty commemoration of the passion and death of Jesus Christ, but a true and proper act of sacrifice.” Each celebration of the Mass is the same sacrifice offered by the same person: the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ who offers himself on the Cross. The manner of the offering is different in that the Mass is the unbloody re-presentation...Read More

Homily for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Valued by God

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24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 11, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/2QF6BRcdTa4 I wouldn’t. Throw a party, I mean. If I were a shepherd and one sheep wandered off, I wouldn’t risk the 99 to go get it. It’s not like those 99 are safe; it says he leaves them in the desert. Who would leave their entire livelihood to rescue one lost sheep? That’s almost as bad as a gambling addiction that causes people to think “I lost some, but if I risk everything else, I can probably...Read More

Homily for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time: Discipleship

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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 4, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/IEXvOIRenOA To choose to be where you are for the sake of love. That’s the takeaway from last week. Instead of trying to make the most money or find the most convenience, we ought to look for those places and opportunities to put ourselves in humble service to others. God himself did this, going so far as to serve us not only by preaching and teaching, by healing the sick and washing the feet of his disciples, but...Read More

Pastor Column: Mediator Dei II

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[Note: This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article for the bulletin of September 4, 2022]      Picking up on the Church’s guidance of the liturgy, Pope Pius XII stresses that a proper understanding of the liturgy factors in both the objective, external reality and the internal, subjective reception of that reality. The Sacraments give grace. That is an objective fact. But receiving that grace requires a person to be properly disposed. He quotes St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians about examining ourselves before receiving communion, lest we eat and drink damnation on ourselves. The salvation offered by...Read More