Author: Father Albert

Destroying the Demons

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Homily for 4th Sun OT, Year B Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Destroying-the-Demons.wav"][/audio]   Demons are real. They have existed since the beginning of time. They are present in the Old Testament, they are present in the New Testament, and they are still with us. They are more intelligent than us, stronger than us, and whole-heartedly dedicated to destroying us. And yet, they are ultimately powerless and doomed to fail in their overall mission. This doesn’t mean we should take them lightly, however. Movies and books have portrayed a variety of exorcisms and used them to scare and entertain...Read More

Gone Fishing

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Homily for 3rd Sun OT, Year B Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Gone-Fishing.wav"][/audio]   Forty days more and New Iberia shall be destroyed! Like Nineveh, we are full of sin. Drugs, violence, theft, drunkenness, and lust all have a home in our dear city. So, maybe it’s high time someone walked through the city proclaiming its imminent destruction. Then maybe, just maybe, we would take our lead from Nineveh, proclaim a fast, and put on sackcloth. After all, look at what Jesus is doing. In Mark, this is the first time Jesus speaks and what does he do?...Read More

The Joy of Discovery

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Homily for 2nd Sun OT, Year B Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/The-Joy-of-Discovery.wav"][/audio]   “We have found the Messiah.” What do those words make you think? What do you feel? Think of a football scout running up to the coach saying, “we found him, the perfect quarterback” or left tackle or whatever position your team most needs. Imagine if you were out of work for a while and starting to miss some bills, but your brother calls you up suddenly saying “hey, I got a job for you: $70,000 a year, full benefits, great retirement.” What would you...Read More

What Will You Give?

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Homily for Epiphany, Year B Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/What-Will-You-Give.wav"][/audio]   Merry Christmas! Today’s feast of the Epiphany means that the Christmas season is just about over, but it’s not too late for presents! St. Matthew recounts the Epiphany for us here, and it’s given us some wonderful traditions. We have king cake, a delicious reminder of the fact that kings from the east came to worship a baby. It’s also the very first time that Christmas present were given, so children everywhere can be grateful for that. In fact, some Catholic cultures wait until Epiphany to...Read More

Love Them Twice

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Homily for Holy Family, Year B Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Love-Them-Twice.wav"][/audio]   I’ve heard it said that you love your family twice. You love when they come to visit, and you love when they leave. Especially during the Holiday season, I think we can all relate and it’s fair to say it’s pretty normal to feel that way. But, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we have some pretty amazing help in the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The bad news is that their example ultimately means more...Read More

Silent Night

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Homily for Christmas Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia, LA [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Silent-Night.wav"][/audio]   Silence and Darkness. For all the music, for all the shining gold and well-lit churches, God truly loves to operate in silence and in darkness. How do I know this? Because the two most powerful and important things He ever did were done in silence and in darkness. Most important of all was his death and resurrection, where he came back from the dead inside a sealed tomb in the middle of the night, with not a single soul as a witness. Second to that is this...Read More

The Art of Acquiescence

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Homily for 4th Sun Adv, Year B Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia, LA [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/The-Art-of-Acquiescence.wav"][/audio]   With just a few hours left, are you prepared for Christmas? Gifts purchased and wrapped? Decorations complete? Lunch and dinner planned for family and friends? Now, what would happen if a royal guard were to show up at the door and announce that Queen Elizabeth was coming to your Christmas lunch? Or, if secret service told you that your favorite president was coming. Would you be prepared then? What if they not only wanted to visit, but wanted to move in and take over?...Read More

Third Sunday of Advent

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Collect taken from the Third Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday. Collect: O God, who see how your people faithfully await the feast of the Lord's Nativity, enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great a salvation and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "O God, who see how your people faithfully await the feast of the Lord's Nativity" - This prayer takes for granted that, as Christians, we are actually anticipating a celebration of the Lord's birth rather than looking forward to parties and gifts (or already acting...Read More

Seven Paths to Joy

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Homily for 3rd Sun Adv, Year B Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia, LA [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Seven-Paths-to-Joy.wav"][/audio]   Article for O Antiphons: http://familyfeastandferia.com/2010/12/o-antiphons/ O Antiphon prayer guide: http://familyfeastandferia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/O_antiphons_prayer_companion_rev2015.pdf ♫Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel♫. That joyful refrain is from one of the best known Christmas hymns in the Christian tradition. And it is a great time to sing it since today is Gaudete Sunday and that word means “rejoice.” And that’s why I am wearing this bright color, because rose vestments represent great joy. Twice a year we do this, during Advent and Lent. In both cases it is...Read More

St. John of the Cross

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Collect taken from the memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church. Collect: O God, who gave the Priest Saint John an outstanding dedication to perfect self-denial and love of the Cross, grant that, by imitating him closely at all times, we may come to contemplate eternally your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "O God, who gave the Priest Saint John an outstanding dedication to perfect self-denial and love of the Cross" - Saint John's dedication to the cross was indeed outstanding and surely could not have been possible for a mere man. This...Read More