Author: Father Albert

Pastor Column: Benedict XV

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From the bulletin of April 25, 2021      Returning now to our journey through the teachings of recent popes, we come to Pope Benedict XV, who reigned from 1914 until his death in 1922, which was of course during World War I. Pope Benedict XV called the war the “suicide of Europe,” and made a concerted effort to bring peace and understanding. Though prominent in his papacy, the war was not his only focus. But first, a little history of this man who became pope.      Born in 1846, Giacomo Paolo Battista della Chiesa grew up in Genoa, Italy as...Read More

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter: Am I Real To You?

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3rd Sunday of Easter, B                                                                                               April 18, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/vzx11z22aOI Am I real to you? If we would continue our journey into joy, we have to answer this question from Jesus. Am I real to you? The Apostles evidently had their own struggles to accept it. Jesus appears to them and they think it is a ghost, a detached spirit. But it is not so! Jesus is real, his body is real, and he wants to prove it so we can be witnesses to it. He shows his hands...Read More

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday: The Command of Peace

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2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy), B                                                       April 11, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/A1PSl54NWiU “Peace be with you.” They’re the first words Jesus speaks to his Apostles since he died. They are the reason he rose from the dead in the first place. It is this peace, and the joy that comes with it, that is the topic, the focus of our journey through Easter. This season begins with rejoicing in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead… rejoicing that our trust in God is not misplaced… that this trust ends with joy...Read More

Homily for Easter Sunday: The Flower of Perfection

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Part I is here Part II is here Easter Vigil                                         Part 3 of Triduum 2021                                  April 3, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/32bkjWIy5Zk On Thursday night we began an extended reflection on the idea of becoming perfect, not in the sense of never making mistakes but in the sense of being made complete according to God’s design. It starts with an encounter, an experience of the inexplicable love of God made man. That encounter remains available to you in prayer, in the Church, in confession, and in the Eucharist if you seek it...Read More

Homily for Good Friday: Finishing Perfection

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See part I here. Good Friday of the Lord's Passion     Part 2 of Triduum 2021                                  April 2, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/xP-fOuMcGzQ The theme of this Triduum is perfection; being complete according to God’s will. Perfection comes from the same Greek word as finished. Last night, we saw that this perfection begins not with our resolutions or ideas, but with encountering Jesus Christ and accepting his love for us. There is a real need to experience this, to feel the love of God manifest. But we also recalled that feelings aren’t what is...Read More

Homily for Mass of the Lord’s Supper: Accepting Perfection

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Mass of the Lord's Supper                  Part 1 of Triduum 2021                                  April 1, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/Tpp30vmuNUg Good vs. Evil, Obedience, Freedom, Hope, Perfection. These were the themes of our Lenten journey through the fundamentals, a journey that ended with us crucifying Christ this past Sunday. But now we begin a different journey. Lent is over, but tonight begins the Triduum. It is a single liturgy that spans three days, a continual act of worship that takes us through the Last Supper, Christ’s death, and then to his resurrection. So the homilies...Read More

Pastor Column: Modernism II

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From the bulletin of March 28, 2021      Continuing our look at the heresy of Modernism, we come to how they view the Church’s authority. Since Modernists say that Christ is only human and that all religion is the product of a vague internal “religious sense,” they go on to reject the idea that the Church has real authority coming from God. They see the Church’s authority as the product of the “collective conscience” of all believers. In other words, they argue that the Church should be democratic about it’s beliefs because it’s authority is really based on the opinion...Read More

Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent: Perfection

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5th Sunday of Lent, B                                                                                     March 21, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/r1BJFiqQXE8 This Lent, beginning with Adam and Eve, we saw God’s firm opposition to evil, especially as shown with Noah and the great flood. In Abraham’s willingness to offer up Isaac, we saw the importance of faith shown through obedience to things beyond our understanding. With Moses and the Ten Commandments, we encountered the paradox that real freedom is not doing whatever we feel like but being free enough from sin and our impulses to do what is truly good....Read More

Pastor Column: Modernism I

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From the bulletin of March 21, 2021      Continuing with the documents of Pope St. Pius X, we come to one of his better known encyclicals, Pascendi Dominici Gregis, subtitled “On the Doctrine of the Modernists,” published in 1907. “Modernism” is the name that the pope uses to describe a collection of erroneous beliefs which were becoming popular at the time. As the pope, he sees it as his responsibility to point out and correct these errors as directly as possible.      The first error he tackles is what he calls “agnosticism.” This refers to the belief that human reason...Read More

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent: Hope of Victory

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4th Sunday of Lent, B                                                                                     March 14, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/LWCH83GpMoA We are losing. At least, that’s what it looks like. And that is a key part of this next step in our journey through the fundamentals – the hope of victory. In the battle of good vs. evil, this battle for freedom fought with the weapons of obedience, we must remember what victory really looks like if we are going to avoid discouragement. The first reading is from the end of the Jewish bible and it speaks of what...Read More