Author: Father Albert

Homily for Epiphany: How to Give

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Epiphany, Year A                                                                                           January 3, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/NBtzeX79l0c What do I get for the God who gave me everything? This was the question we asked on Christmas day. The answer was to get him the most valuable, thoughtful, practical, and liberating gift we could – ourselves. That’s “what” we give, but now we wonder “how?” While we give gifts on Christmas day, many other cultures wait until today’s feast, the Epiphany, to make that exchange. So, it’s a fitting day to answer this question by looking how the Magi give...Read More

Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: The Blessing

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Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God                                                         January 1, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/jy9roxeL15M Merry Christmas! We’re still celebrating it you know. The Christmas season lasts until the middle of January – or even to February 2nd if you follow the old calendar. More importantly, today/Friday marks the 8th day, the octave day of the feast of Christ’s birth. As with music, an octave is the same thing in a different register. Christmas is so important, so profound that we spend 8 whole days re-entering into it, celebrating it, and – as Mary...Read More

Homily for Patronal Feast of St. John the Evangelist: Clothed in Love

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Patronal Feast of St. John the Evangelist                                                       December 27, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/qpuoOnauNvM          From the baby Jesus to boiling oil… That could be the title of St. John’s autobiography. The life of this man, our patron saint, is a fitting testimony that the joy we’ve just celebrated doesn’t stop with a few nice presents but extends straight through the worst parts of the human condition, through death itself into eternal life. All the other apostles were martyred brutally for proclaiming this truth. Like them, society wanted to kill John for...Read More

Pastor Column: Rerum Novarum VI

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From the bulletin of December 27, 2020      Continuing our journey through Pope Leo XIII’s landmark document, we pick up this week with how the government should view religion and family. First, the pope lays out the principle that “the State must not absorb the individual or the family; both should be allowed free and untrammeled action so far as is consistent with the common good and the interest of others.” For this reason, “the safety of the commonwealth” is the reason for government’s existence and it is therefore its primary responsibility.      But this does not boil down to...Read More

Homily for Christmas: What Should I Get Him?

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Christmas                                                                                                        December 25, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/gns-hSBBzXE What should I get them? Especially after a year like 2020, we’ve all asked this question countless times these past few months. What kind of gift is the best thing to give to my loved ones? How best to convey the love and hope they most need to receive? What makes for a good gift? Expensive? Thoughtful? Practical? Helpful? Like most children, as a kid I often thought the most expensive gifts were the best. The Playstation 2… the new computer – knowing...Read More

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent: The Secret of Joy

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4th Sunday of Advent, B                                                                                December 20, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/DHSpmke_dnI Do you know the secret? This advent, I’ve warned you about the end of the world. I’ve told you to follow the Holy Spirit. I’ve called you to rejoice and promised you joy as a result. But are aware of the secret to this world-ending, spirit-filled, unbeatable joy? The secret is poverty. That might surprise you. You’ve surely heard the maxim “money can’t buy happiness,” but this goes a bit further than that. Scripture is actually pretty clear about it...Read More

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent: Rejoice!

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3rd Sunday of Advent, B                                                                                December 13, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/lNXlwOj7IVg ♫Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel♫. That joyful refrain is from one of the best known hymns in the Christian tradition. And it is a great time to sing it since today is Gaudete Sunday, Latin word that means “rejoice.” That’s why I am wearing this bright color, because rose vestments represent great joy. The Lord is near, our salvation is at hand, and our anticipation is building. And the longer we’ve waited, the greater our joy....Read More

Pastor Column: Winter Ember Days

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From the bulletin of December 13, 2020           We’ll pause temporarily on our journey through Rerum Novarum to remember an ancient practice called the “Ember Days.” You may remember that we’ve observed these before. The Ember Days are a traditional time of prayer and fasting connected to each season of the year. The idea is to sanctify – to make holy – each  season. While not as popular now, the practice of fasting has always been a central part of the Christian call to holiness. It purifies our attachment to food, reminds us of the fact that many go without,...Read More

Homily for the Immaculate Conception: What Mary Knows

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Immaculate Conception                                                                                  December 8, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/qx3mpYP2VNg Mary, did you know? If you’re not familiar, that is the title of a popular song that circulates around this time of year. After centuries of being almost anti-Marian, it is encouraging to see many protestants take another look at Mary with the affection that we hear in this song. It makes for some pretty music and many people want to hear it at Church and while they’re out and about during this run up to Christmas. For all its merits, however, what...Read More