Will He Find Faith Here? Homily for the 29th Sunday OT 2025

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, C                                                                   October 19, 2025Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/LnoLBi-jlxw It’s one of the most frightening questions in all of scripture. “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” For the third week in a row, our Gospel has called attention to the virtue of faith. This time we see a shift in focus: not just faith, but faith in preparation for the end of the world. Jesus doesn’t just want us to have faith. He wants us to keep faith and, more importantly, to spread faith. The fact...Read More

The Heart of a Good Compliment: Homily for School Mass, Thurs Week 28 OT

Thursday Week 28 OT                       Margaret Mary Alacoque                    September 29, 2025Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               Vermilion Catholic, Abbeville https://youtu.be/hwBIkzfOzFo People have often said that I’m intelligent. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the intent behind that compliment, but I have to say that it’s not my favorite. Why not? It’s a nice thing to say, right? Especially when it’s true. Yes. So why not just accept it? Well, I do accept it. But here’s why it’s not a big deal: being smart is just a natural quality. It doesn’t say anything about the kind of person someone is. Smart people can...Read More

Faith, Gratitude, and Salvation: Homily for the 28th Sunday OT 2025

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, C                                                                   October 12, 2025Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/PeIKEth-UP0 A man was about to be late for an important meeting. Knowing that the right parking spot could make all the difference, he began to pray as he got close to the parking lot: “Lord, if you help me find the right parking space, I’ll…” Just then he spotted a place right by the door “nevermind, Lord, found one!” That’s a classic story of being ungrateful to the Lord, but let me tell you a true story of gratitude from my own life....Read More

Finding More Faith: Homily for the 27th Sunday OT 2025

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, C                      October 5, 2025Fr. Alexander Albert                                                         St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/ecVE1rJ4MGY “Increase our faith!” Ten out of Ten, excellent prayer, would recommend. Learn from the Apostles to pray like that. One man says to Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief!” I try to pray that prayer every day. Faith is a gift, so asking for it is a particularly effective way to increase it. It also helps to remind us that it is a supernatural virtue infused into the soul by God. So, when interacting with those who don’t have faith, it’s...Read More

Angelic Battles: Homily for Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael 2025

Feast of the Archangels                                                                                  September 29, 2025Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/5I_BnljiZEw My little ones, we’re going to talk about some big stuff. What you need to know is this: there are good angels and there are bad angels. The good ones help protect us from the bad. We don’t need to be afraid of the bad angels because God is on our side. Our job is to be honest, to be humble, and to be helpful. If you do that, you help the good angels defeat the bad ones. Now, let’s expand on that for...Read More

Building God’s Kingdom: Stewardship Homily 26th Sunday OT 2025

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 28, 2025Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/EVg8DU3e1rU “The Big Church.” When a small town has multiple churches, I often hear that phrase “the big church.” Especially in Acadiana, that tends to be the largest Catholic Church in the area. Usually, “the Big Church” is not only physically imposing, it’s got a long history, a lot of people, and a lot of stuff going on. In Abbeville, we are the “Big Church,” which makes sense. Look at this place! Big, beautiful, historic, lots of people. Thanks to your generosity, this Church...Read More

Life From Death: Homily for the Exaltation of the Cross 2025

Exaltation of the Cross                                                                                  September 14, 2025Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/kUWM-y3B76E Can you bring life out of death? Or you? No, of course not. There is but one power, one authority, one man in all of existence that can do such a thing. That man is Jesus Christ. That man is also God, who is not merely in existence, but transcends it as the very source of existence just as the sun transcends daylight by being its origin. Only God, only God, only God can bring life out of death. And if we ever forget either...Read More

A Different Target: Homily for VC School Mass Sept 11, 2025

Thurs, Week 23 OT - I                                                                                   September 11, 2025Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               Vermilion Catholic, Abbeville https://youtu.be/rQJiCOuXWt0 It’s supposed to be different. It’s supposed to make us stand out. The Gospel way of life is meant to make us different. “Other schools aren’t so strict about uniforms or Sunday practices.” Yeah, most schools don’t have Christ at the center. “Other kids get smartphones when they’re 8.” Is being like other kids your only goal? Don’t you see? Jesus wants us to live a different kind of life. I gave some random examples, but I could just as easily...Read More

Letting the Slave Go: Homily for the 23rd Sunday OT 2025

23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 7, 2025Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/rHXETGJby3Y Let him go. Or her. Or it. Whatever or whoever you are most attached to, most in love with, most in need of… let that go. Or else, what? Or else you cannot be His disciple. For the disciple of Jesus Christ, it is only by renouncing our possessions that we can receive back something even better. We see an example of this in Paul’s letter to Philemon – our second reading. Paul is clever, well-educated, and a talented writer. He knows how...Read More

Approaching Angels: Homily for the 22nd Sunday OT 2025

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, C                   Confirmation                           August 31, 2025Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/o8x7dHl8nBg N.B. This Mass featured a confirmation. The homily is slightly different from those given at the other weekend Masses. “You have approached…” That’s what our second reading tells us and that is especially true for you today, Jacob. Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation, a sacred ritual that draws you more fully into the Church. Unlike the old testament, the old covenant, this approach isn’t on a mountain with fire and trumpet blasts and the terrifying, booming voice of God. Though...Read More