Author: Father Albert

Daily Collection: Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

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The Collect for Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter is: "O God, restorer and lover of innocence, direct the hearts of your servants towards yourself, that those you have set free from the darkness of unbelief may never stray from the light of your truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever." Reflection God loves innocence, but we don't have innocence. So, God restores our innocence so that He can take delight in us. Remembering that, we pray for Him...Read More

Dive, Don’t Fall

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Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C                                                                                  May 19, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette You’ve been lied to… for basically your whole life. You’ve been lied to about love. What it is, how it works. Of course, you’ve also been told the truth. The question is, have you accepted the lie, the truth, or some combination? Jesus says: “love one another.” What is love? Well, what is the lie? It’s the idea that love is some impersonal, magical force that you just have to follow. An attraction and passion which consumes you and...Read More

The “Flow” of Heaven

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Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C                                                                              May 12, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” But, why bother? What is the reward of being such a follower? The book of Revelation promises “they will not hunger or thirst,” the “sun” and “heat” will not “strike” them, and “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Those are all great things, but you can buy food and drink, you can pay for air conditioning, and you can even get a dog to make...Read More

The Food of Love

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Third Sunday of Easter, Year C                                                                                 May 5, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette “Feed my lambs.” This weekend is first communion for the children in our parish. For the first time, 9 little lambs of are given something to eat by their Lord and Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Through his Church and the hands of his priests, Jesus continues to feed his people with something much better than bread and fish. As the children will tell you, this is no ordinary bread. Yes, it’s a joyful occasion for the children and their families,...Read More
Via Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DNA_com_GGN.jpg

Daily Collection: Monday of the Second Week of Easter

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The Collect for Monday of the Second Week of Easter is: "Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who have been renewed by paschal remedies, transcending the likeness of our earthly parentage, may be transformed in the image of our heavenly maker. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever." Reflection This whole Easter season (the longest one except Ordinary Time) will focus on heavenly things, baptism, and renewal. So, we pray to make the renewal complete by "transcending... our earthly parentage."...Read More

Beyond Doubt

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Divine Mercy Sunday                                                                                                 April 28, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Doubting Thomas. Because of what we see today, that’s the unfortunate nickname this Apostle gets. It makes it sound like Thomas was the only one to have doubts. But all of the Apostles were confused and full of doubt until Jesus appears. They are no better at believing than Thomas, they just get the chance to see Jesus first. What, exactly, does Thomas doubt? Or rather, who? Jesus? Not exactly. He believes Jesus once he sees him. No, Thomas is...Read More

Jesus The Savior

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Easter Sunday                                                                                                             April 20, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Who is Jesus? Who is this man that causes us to gather this night/morning? It is precisely that question that we’ve tried to answer over the past three days during what we call the Paschal Triduum. Holy Thursday revealed Jesus the servant who offers worship to God and washes the feet of his disciples, whether they are loyal, cowardly, or even corrupt. Good Friday displayed Christ the sufferer who takes his service so far that he heals those who arrest...Read More
Via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_of_thorns#/media/File:Christ_Carrying_the_Cross_1580.jpg

Jesus The Sufferer

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Good Friday                                                                                                                April 19, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette We’ve begun, during this Triduum, to explore the identity of Jesus as servant, sufferer, and savior. Last night, with the institution of the Eucharist Jesus revealed himself as an obedient servant of God, offering praise and thanksgiving to his father for saving him from death. In the washing of the feet, Jesus showed himself the willing slave… the servant of all mankind. This identity as servant inevitably leads to Christ the sufferer; that is the result of trying to serve...Read More

Jesus The Servant

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The Holy Thursday                                                                                                     April 18, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette This Sacred Triduum is a single liturgy spread over three days, a profound entrance into the mysteries of our salvation. So, the homilies for these days will be a series following the same theme. This year, the focus is the identity of Jesus. Who is he and what does his identity mean for us? Jesus is the servant, the sufferer, and the savior. Everyone wants Jesus the savior, but, as we’ll see, we cannot truly know this savior unless we...Read More

The Silence That Conquers Evil

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Homily for Palm Sun, Year C            Abuse Crisis                                        April 13, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette It’s horrendous. The evil we inflict on each other; even upon God himself. Just 30 minutes after welcoming God with palms and singing, we shout for his crucifixion. This singular moment of history – when God let himself be killed by mankind – both hides and reveals the most difficult questions of the human condition. Why so much evil? What can we do about it? God’s answer is not to ignore reality, to disregard consequences, to snap his fingers...Read More