Author: Father Albert

St. Peter Claver

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Collect taken from the memorial of St. Peter Claver, priest. Collect: O God, who made Saint Peter Claver a slave of slaves and strengthened him with wonderful charity and patience as he came to their help, grant, through his intercession, that, seeking the things of Jesus Christ, we may love our neighbor in deeds and in truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ... "O God, who made Saint Peter Claver a slave of slaves and strengthened him with wonderful charity and patience as he came to their help," - We praise the gift of God that enabled Peter Claver to take seriously Christ's...Read More

The Nativity of Mary

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Collect taken from the feast of the Nativity of Mary, Mother of God. Collect: Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin may bring deeper peace to those for whom the birth of her Son was the dawning of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "Impart to your servants, we pray, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace," - This is a straightforward acknowledgment of our status as servants of God paired with a direct request for grace. "that the feast of the Nativity of...Read More

Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

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Collect taken from Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time. Collect: God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name," - As always we recall some aspect of God's gift to stir up our faith before asking for something. In this case we recall His...Read More

The Sanctification of Human Labor

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Collect taken from the mass for the Sanctification of Human Labor. Collect: O God, who through human labor never cease to perfect and govern the vast work of creation, listen to the supplications of your people and grant that all men and women may find work that befits their dignity, joins them more closely to one another and enables them to serve their neighbor. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "O God, who through human labor never cease to perfect and govern the vast work of creation," - We here remember that God's creation was not a one-time event, but...Read More

Carrying The Cross With Both Arms

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Homily for 22ndSun OT, Year A                                                                Fr. Albert St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Carrying-The-Cross-With-Both-.wav"][/audio]   Is Peter making a mistake? Is it a mistake to trust this Jesus? In the course of a single conversation, He went from promising the keys of the kingdom of heaven to calling Peter “Satan.” Peter was just trying to be a good friend, trying to save Jesus from pain and difficulty. Wouldn’t...Read More

It Is Right And Just

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Homily for Mother Teresa Novena Mass, 5th day                                           Fr. Albert Queen of Peace, Lafayette [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/It-Is-Right-And-Just.wav"][/audio]   There is a dirty word among Christians: Justice. It is popular to speak all the time of mercy. That word conjures up warm thoughts of reconciliation, welcome, and kindness. But justice… well, that too often sounds like rules or judgment, wrath or revenge. Still others suspect the word refers to invented rights, and conspiracies of control. And yet, there are those who are willing to speak of it as they should. Even the formulas for mass today are for the preservation of Justice and...Read More

Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time

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Collect taken from Twenty-first Week of Ordinary Time. Collect: O God, who cause the minds of the faithful to unite in a single purpose, grant your people to love what you command and to desire what you promise, that, amid the uncertainties of this world, our hearts may be fixed on that place where true gladness is found. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "O God, who cause the minds of the faithful to unite in a single purpose" - Unity cannot come from worldly control or merely human efforts. We recall in this prayer that it is God, and God...Read More

Beheading of John the Baptist

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Collect taken from the memorial of the beheading of John the Baptist. Collect: O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist should go ahead of your Son both in his birth and in his death, grant that, as he died a Martyr for truth and justice, we, too, may fight hard for the confession of what you teach. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... " O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist should go ahead of your Son both in his birth and in his death," - We recall the fitting design of God in order to evoke a...Read More

St. Augustine of Hippo

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Collect taken from the memorial of St. Augustine of Hippo, bishop, confessor, and doctor. Collect: Renew in your Church, we pray, O Lord, that spirit with which you endowed your Bishop Saint Augustine that, filled with the same spirit, we may thirst for you, the sole fount of true wisdom, and seek you, the author of heavenly love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "Renew in your Church, we pray, O Lord, that spirit with which you endowed your Bishop Saint Augustine" - In each age, the Church needs men and women who are filled with the spirit of zeal and...Read More

You’re Building What?

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Homily for 21stSun OT, Year A                                                                     Fr. Albert St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Youre-Building-What.wav"][/audio]   Maybe this sounds familiar: Three men died and went to heaven. When they got there, St. Peter met them at the gate. He said “tell me why you deserve to go to Heaven…”  Those lines are the opening to hundreds of different jokes about dying and going to heaven. Some of them...Read More