Author: Father Albert

Updating Our Stewardship

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     Perhaps you’ve heard of the “Seven Precepts of the Church.” Maybe it was the “Five Precepts” when you learned about it. These are the basic things a Catholic should do to stay in  ‘Good Standing” with the Church. The reason for different numbers and lists is that the Catechism lists them in different places. In paragraph 2041, it lists five, but in other places it does include two more from the older, more traditional list. But that’s besides the point. The basic precepts are: - To attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and resting from servile...Read More

Dishonest Wealth

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Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                    September 22, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette So, I keep saying that I see potential in this parish. Allow me to offer a list of possibilities during my term as pastor: establish a youth group, improve the parking lot, hire an outreach coordinator, deal with the old convent and school, offer ongoing adult formation in the parish, restore some of the Church’s former beauty, enrich our music program, start a children’s choir, host parish missions for lent and advent, increase our service to the poor, improve lighting...Read More

The Weirdness of God

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Homily for Mass @ CHS – St. Januarius                                                       September 19, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                            Catholic High, New Iberia Earlier today in Naples, Italy, the Archbishop went into the Cathedral, reached into a sacred shrine and took out a container with something very special inside. It is the blood of someone who died a long time ago and it is blood that performs miracles. The blood of St. Januarius, who died as a martyr 1700 years ago, is kept in a glass container in the Naples Cathedral. This blood, long since dried out after it was first shed,...Read More

Fall Ember Days

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     You may remember that earlier this year, I invited you to join me in observing the Ember Days. 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, and gives us a chance to remind our bodies that there is more to life...Read More

Series on the Mass # 4

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     If the Mass is so great, how do we get people to come? Why do so many people not enjoy it? Worthwhile questions. As I touched on in the homily, simply inviting people to come to Mass with you usually isn’t enough. If a liturgy is done well, a visitor might see that it’s important to us. They can see that it is full of meaning and symbolism and they might get something out of the prayers and preaching. Still, the heart of the Mass — the Eucharist — is a profound mystery that takes mature faith. It’s not...Read More

Finding Lost Souls

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Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                 September 15, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Well, wasn’t that a long Gospel? And why so long… why three parables instead of one? Wasn’t the one about the sheep enough? We sin, God comes to get us, and everything is great after. Did we really need to stand so long to listen to the rest? Yes, we did. Not every sinner is the same. Not every path to repentance is the same so we need to hear more than one way for the Mercy of God to...Read More

The Tower of Faith

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Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                   September 8, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette If you think I’ve been optimistic about what people get out of going to a Sunday Mass, then you’ve already realized something very important: Mass is not for beginners. Repenting from sin, putting effort into the same old responses every week, and “feasting” on readings we don’t always understand. Add to these the incredible belief that bread and wine invisibly turn into God himself, and you’d be crazy to think just anybody would “get it” after one visit. This is...Read More

Series on the Mass # 3

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     As we learned last week, the celebration of the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of the Christian life. All things in the universe come from God and are meant to return to God: source and summit. Since the Eucharist is God Himself, it makes sense that our lives follow this same cosmic pattern with the Mass.      But, the Eucharist is not everything in between. Between our creation and Heaven there is a real journey with choices that matter. The Mass is the “source” of the Christian life because it feeds us with God’s Word and the Body...Read More

The Feast

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Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                            September 1, 2019Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Jesus likes food so much, he actually became food. Even before giving the Eucharist to his Apostles, you can see it in his ministry. Here he is at dinner with a pharisee and offers two lessons involving food. Really, they are more about about the occasion: a meal, a gathering to share food and company. And that is, in part, what we do here at Mass. The past two weeks have been about what you do before Mass – repentance...Read More

Series on the Mass #2

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Putting effort into our worship is clearly important. God deserves the best we can give, so it’s hard to argue with that. That’s not to say that we should be afraid that what we have to offer isn’t good enough. He knows our weaknesses and limitations. The standard of “effort” for God is not some arbitrary benchmark or standard-ized test. His standard, in all things, is love. A beautiful liturgy performed by hypocrites means very little to God in comparison to a messy one performed by saints. At the same time, if a person claims they are trying hard but...Read More