Sts. Joachim & Anne

Collect taken from the feast of Sts. Joachim & Anne, parents of Mary. Collect: O Lord, God of our Fathers, who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace, that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son, grant, through the prayers of both, that we may attain the salvation you have promised to your people. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "O Lord, God of our Fathers, who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace, that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son," -The providence of God arranges all things to work...Read More

St. James the Greater

Collect taken from the feast of St. James the Greater, Apostle. Collect: Almighty ever-living God, who consecrated the first fruits of your Apostles by the blood of Saint James, grant, we pray, that your Church may be strengthened by his confession of faith and constantly sustained by his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "Almighty ever-living God, who consecrated the first fruits of your Apostles by the blood of Saint James," -It is fitting that James, known for his zeal and desire to reign in the kingdom, be the first to suffer martyrdom. We recall God's goodness in acknowledging this...Read More

St. Sharbel Makhluf

Collect taken from the memorial of St. Sharbel Makhluf, priest. Collect: O God, who called the Priest Saint Sharbel Makhluf to the solitary combat of the desert and imbued him with all manner of devotion, grant us, we pray, that, being made imitators of the Lord's Passion, we may merit to be co-heirs of his Kingdom. Who lives and reigns ... " O God, who called the Priest Saint Sharbel Makhluf to the solitary combat of the desert and imbued him with all manner of devotion," - Sharbel went to combat in the desert, not against some external enemy, but primarily against himself....Read More

The Might of the Mustard Seed

Homily for 16th Sun OT, Year A                                              Fr. Albert St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/The-Might-of-the-Mustard-Seed.wav"][/audio]   "Might makes right." Is such a statement true? Scripture seems to say that it is. The book of Wisdom addresses God saying, “your might is the source of justice.” So, yes might makes right, but only when it’s God’s. That’s because God’s might is the same thing as his love and his justice. There is no division in God, no contradictory impulses and arbitrariness....Read More

St. Mary Magdalene

Collect taken from the memorial of St. Mary Magdalene, apostle to the Apostles. Collect: O God, whose Only Begotten Son entrusted Mary Magdalene before all others with announcing the great joy of the Resurrection, grant, we pray, that through her intercession and example we may proclaim the living Christ and come to see him reigning in your glory. Who lives and reigns... "O God, whose Only Begotten Son entrusted Mary Magdalene before all others with announcing the great joy of the Resurrection," - As always, the honor we see given to a particular person is counted toward the glory of God. So...Read More

Lawrence of Brindisi

Collect taken from the memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, priest and doctor. Collect: O God, who for the glory of your name and the salvation of souls bestowed on the Priest Saint Lawrence of Brindisi a spirit of counsel and fortitude, grant, we pray, that in the same spirit, we may know what must be done and, through his intercession, bring it to completion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "O God, who for the glory of your name and the salvation of souls bestowed on the Priest Saint Lawrence of Brindisi a spirit of counsel and fortitude," - The...Read More

St. Apollinaris

Collect taken from the memorial of St. Apollinaris, bishop and martyr. Collect: Direct your faithful, Lord, in the way of eternal salvation, which the Bishop Saint Apollinaris showed by his teaching and martyrdom, and grant, through, his intercession, that we may so persevere in keeping your commandments as to merit being crowned with him. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "Direct your faithful, Lord, in the way of eternal salvation, which the Bishop Saint Apollinaris showed by his teaching and martyrdom" - As a shepherd, St. Apollinaris was charged not only with giving instruction, but with modeling the life of Christ...Read More

St. Camillus de Lellis

Collect taken from the memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis, priest. Collect: O God, who adorned the Priest Saint Camillus with a singular grace of charity towards the sick, pour out upon us, by his merits, a spirit of love for you, so that, serving you in our neighbor, we may, at the hour of our death, pass safely over to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son... "O God, who adorned the Priest Saint Camillus with a singular grace of charity towards the sick, pour out upon us, by his merits, a spirit of love for you," - God gives...Read More

Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time

Collect taken from Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time. Collect: O God, who show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path, give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honor. Through our Lord Jesus Christ... "O God, who show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path" - This is Salvation History: the story of God showing...Read More

The Liberating Burden

Homily for 14th Sun OT, Year A Fr. Albert  St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia [audio wav="http://box5246.temp.domains/~alberuc3/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/The-Liberating-Burden.wav"][/audio]   Is it heavy enough for you? Are you weary from carrying it? The weight of your own importance, the burden of your pride. Do your shoulders hurt from the load of vanity, of keeping up appearances? Is your back sore from leveraging control over politics, or relationships, or even traffic? It’s work enough controlling ourselves, yet we so often insist on seizing responsibility for anything but the one thing that is actually ours. "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and...Read More