Author: Father Albert

The Teacher Who Demands Death

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The Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time    Educator’s Mass                September 15, 2018 Fr. Albert                                                                                            St. Peter’s, New Iberia  Teachers, what do you demand of your students? I know I want them to pay attention, to be respectful, and to do the assignments I give them. But would you ask them to die? To sit in an electric chair and be executed? If Jesus is the great teacher we consider him to be, if he is someone we want to imitate as teachers, then maybe we should expect that. Because that’s what he’s telling his students, his disciples...Read More

Finger In Your Ear

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The Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time                                                September 9, 2018 Fr. Albert                                                                                            St. Peter’s, New Iberia  Some of my favorite videos on the internet are the ones that show somebody experiencing something for the first time. A few such videos feature Cochlear implants and lets you see what it’s like for someone hear for the first time in their life. Put yourself in that place. Never knowing sound and then… *snap* sound rushes in and a whole new dimension of reality becomes available to you. You know what happens almost every time? The person lights...Read More

Jesus the Bread of Life & The Hungry One

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Monday of the 22nd Week of Ordinary Time                                                September 3, 2018 Fr. Albert                                                                    Our Lady Queen of Peace, Lafayette “Jesus made Himself the Bread of Life and the Hungry One”  “Is this not the son of Joseph?” Though it seems like a simple question, this comment hides behind it a hardened heart. This is in Nazareth where Jesus “had grown up.” The people here knew Jesus. They saw the child play games in the street. They saw the boy at prayer with the community. They saw the hungry one, a man like any other, who had...Read More

This Saying Is Hard

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The Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time                                                  August 26, 2018 Fr. Albert                                                                                    Sacred Heard, Broussard, LA N.B. The ending of the recording is from the end of Mass when I address the scandal in the Church  “This saying is hard, who can accept it!” Which saying, exactly, is so hard to accept? The Jews in the Gospel are talking about the Eucharist, but there is another saying in our readings today that is probably just as hard, if not even harder for modern Catholics to accept. I’m talking about the opening lines for our second...Read More

Coming into Union With God

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The Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time  Liturgy Catechesis                   August 26, 2018 Fr. Albert                                                                                            St. Peter’s, New Iberia  Today we come to the last part of our walk through of the Mass. Once the Eucharistic prayer concludes with the Doxology and the Great Amen, we begin to prepare ourselves to receive Holy Communion. Notice how the Our Father is introduced: “At our savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say.” To us, calling God “Father” seems like no big deal, but it is. Before Jesus Christ, expressing that kind of intimacy was seen as...Read More

If I Were The Pope…

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Don't worry, it won't ever actually happen... Nor do I envy anyone who has to take on such a responsibility! [Disclaimer: This is not a condemnation of Pope Francis. I do not know what he knows. I am not in his position. I am not the one to judge the Pope. I readily admit these are ideas from the outside looking in, and coming from a pretty inexperienced young priest at that.] [caption id="attachment_1485" align="alignright" width="187"] ----"Crowning of Celestine V" ---- By Unknown - Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3215195[/caption] But, here are some ideas I think people would welcome in response to...Read More

To The Glory of God (Despite the Failure of the Church)

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The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time    Liturgy Cat./ Abuse remarks     August 19, 2018 Fr. Albert                                                                                            St. Peter’s, New Iberia  I will continue our Catechetical series on the Mass, but first, I have to say something. If you haven’t heard, this past week the Pennsylvania Grand Jury released a massive 900-page report on the abuse of children by priests in the Church in the state of Pennsylvania. It implicates many people over a long period of time, including powerful leaders and bishops in the Church. It. Is. Horrifying. Some of it is probably inaccurate, but enough is true...Read More

Why Make The Assumption?

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Homily for the The Solemnity of the Assumption                                         August 15, 2018 Fr. Albert                                                                                            St. Peter’s, New Iberia  Why are we here? Why do we make such a big deal about celebrating Mary? In addition to today’s feast, we have so many others all dedicated to Mary. We are often accused of idol worship and neo-paganism because of this devotion. But we are unashamed because we know we do not worship Mary. Indeed, the fact is that everything we celebrate about Mary always points back to Jesus Christ. Mary is called the Mother of God because...Read More

Repentance, Rejoicing, Receiving, and Returning

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The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time      Liturgy Catechesis                  August 12, 2018 Fr. Albert                                                                                            St. Peter’s, New Iberia   Picking up from last week, we are going to continue our walk through the Mass starting with the Sign of the Cross and going up through the creed. Mass officially begins with the Sign of the Cross. Although this is a routine gesture, it is actually a very rich symbolic and sacramental action and could probably fill a whole homily by itself. It refers to the Trinity as a reminder that everything ultimately starts with the Trinity who created...Read More

It Is Good That We Are Here

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Homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration                                       August 6, 2018 Fr. Albert                                                                                            St. Peter’s, New Iberia  “We possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” Once in college, I was on a silent retreat looking for some answers. Wandering around the grounds, I was a little anxious, which sometimes happens when you’re alone with yourself and no distractions for a while. I wanted something to focus...Read More