Author: Father Albert

St. Juan Diego

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Collect taken from the optional memorial of St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. Collect: O God, who by means of Saint Juan Diego showed the love of the most holy Virgin Mary for your people, grant, through his intercession, that, by following the counsels our Mother gave at Guadalupe, we may be ever constant in fulfilling your will. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "O God, who by means of Saint Juan Diego showed the love of the most holy Virgin Mary for your people," - In line with His great love of the humble and lowly, God took this unimportant man and used...Read More

Pure As The Wind-Driven Snow

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Homily for The Immaculate Conception  Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia, LA [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Pure-As-The-Wind-Driven-Snow.wav"][/audio]   Why? Why do we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary? I can think of three great reasons to do so. First, because the glory of Mary always points to the glory of Christ. It is fitting that the woman who is meant to bear God Himself in her womb should be without any sin or defilement. When something is valuable to us, we often adorn it or place it in something that is also quite valuable. Like diamond for an engagement ring,...Read More

St. Nicholas

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Collect taken from the optional memorial of St. Nicholas, bishop. Collect: We humbly implore your mercy, Lord: protect us in all dangers through the prayers of the Bishop Saint Nicholas, that the way of salvation may lie open before us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ... "We humbly implore your mercy, Lord: protect us in all dangers through the prayers of the Bishop Saint Nicholas," - God already wants to protect us. We can and do ask him directly for that protection. But, we learn from God that he prefers to include us in his works. So, we pray that that protection be given...Read More

Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent

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Collect taken from the Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent Collect: Look with favor, Lord God, on our petitions, and in our trials grant us your compassionate help, that, consoled by the presence of your Son, whose coming we now await, we may be tainted no longer by the corruption of former ways. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "Look with favor, Lord God, on our petitions, and in our trials grant us your compassionate help," - We make a direct appeal to God's compassion, knowing that he is kind and generous because he's already given his Son to us. "that,...Read More

St. John Damascene

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Collect taken from the optional memorial of St. John Damascene, priest and doctor. Collect: Grant, we pray, O Lord, that we may be helped by the prayers of the Priest Saint John Damascene, so that the true faith, which he excelled in teaching, may always be our light and our strength. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "Grant, we pray, O Lord, that we may be helped by the prayers of the Priest Saint John Damascene" -  By invoking St. John Damascene specifically as a priest, the Church is alluding to the reality that each of us participates in the work of...Read More

Will This Be The Year?

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Homily for 1st Sun Adv, Year B Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia, LA [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Will-This-Be-The-Year.wav"][/audio]   Happy New Year! Now is a time for new beginnings, resolutions, and looking forward to what the future might hold. It’s the time to ask ourselves “will this be the year? Will this finally be the year when I get my act together, be the person I want to be, and show my friends and family the loving, generous side of me they never knew before?” What are your New Year’s resolutions? No, I haven’t got my wires crossed and I’m not off...Read More

First Sunday of Advent

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Collect taken from the First Sunday of Advent Collect: Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming, so that, gathered at his right hand, they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming," - Focusing especially on the second coming of Christ, we pray to be prepared for his arrival. This preparation means performing righteous deeds which we need grace...Read More

St. Andrew the Apostle

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Collect taken from the Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle and Martyr Collect: We humbly implore your majesty, O Lord, that, just as the blessed Apostle Andrew was for your Church a preacher and pastor, so he may be for us a constant intercessor before you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "We humbly implore your majesty, O Lord, that, just as the blessed Apostle Andrew was for your Church a preacher and pastor" -  Every time we celebrate an Apostle, we recall the importance and majesty of God's word and the need for men to proclaim it to the world. "so...Read More

Preparing for the King

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Homily for Christ the King, Year A  Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia, LA [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Preparing-for-the-King.wav"][/audio]   Jesus Christ is not our senator. He is not our president. His power over us does not come from us and it cannot be changed by a vote. Jesus Christ is our King. He is King of the entire universe. As Americans, as members of a democratic republic, maybe this is lost on us. President John F. Kennedy was the first and so far only Catholic president. When he first ran for office, a lot of Americans were worried about his loyalty being split...Read More

A Lover’s Trust

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Homily for 33rd Sun OT, Year A Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia, LA [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/A-Lovers-Trust.wav"][/audio]   “When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.” That is the encouragement of Proverbs 31, our first reading. In fact, the whole chapter is famous for its description of what makes a woman a “worthy wife.” Immediately, we might want to object at the idea that a woman’s only goal should be becoming a wife. We might object to the comparison of a woman to jewelry or monetary gain, as if she were decoration or someone’s property. But, let’s...Read More