Author: Father Albert

A Merciful Sacrifice

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Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle Deacon Albert St. John the Evangelist Cathedral   https://sites.google.com/site/fatheralbertmedia/mp3/St_Matthew_15.mp3 Mercy, not sacrifice… what does that mean? If Christ says that, how can we Catholics make such a big deal out of the “sacrifice” of the Mass? No meat on Fridays, fasting on Ash Wednesday, penances after confession, saints who whipped themselves – it kind of seems like sacrifice is all over the place. Is this really a good thing if we have Jesus saying, clear as day, “I desire Mercy, not sacrifice?” He’s quoting Hosea, who is speaking for God. God quoting himself, Old Testament...Read More

Daily Collection: St. Januarius

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Today's Daily Collection comes from the optional memorial of St. Januarius, Bishop & Martyr. Collect: O God, who grant us to venerate the memory of the Martyr Saint Januarius, give us, we pray, the joy of his company in blessed happiness for all eternity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ... "O God, who grant us to venerate the memory of the Martyr Saint Januarius" -- Recognizing that all holiness is a gift from God, we invoke him as the real source of Januarius' fame. We also recognize that the ability to venerate a saint, the ability to recognize holiness in someone else and to give...Read More

Daily Collection: St. Robert Bellarmine

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Robert Bellarmine was a Jesuit, a Theologian, and a Canon Lawyer during a tough time in the Church. Collect: O God, who adorned the Bishop Saint Robert Bellarmine with wonderful learning and virtue to vindicate the faith of your Church, grant, through his intercession, that in the integrity of that same faith your people may always find joy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ... "O God, who adorned the Bishop Saint Robert Bellarmine with wonderful learning and virtue to vindicate the faith of your Church," --We understand that all good things come from God, even our own accomplishments. So, instead of thanking Robert...Read More

Introducing the Daily Collection

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Greetings friends! For a little while now, I've wanted to offer something for reflection that would be a little more frequent and more digestible than the occasional weekend homily. As I was looking over the prayers of the Mass, yesterday, I was struck by the beauty and depth of the Collect for Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian. That's when it hit me - how many people pay much attention to the "opening prayer" for Mass? After the new translation, the prayers are more beautiful and more precise, but I know that the sentences can sometimes be confusing. How many people hear...Read More

Conquest

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Exaltation of the Cross Deacon Albert St. John the Evangelist Cathedral https://sites.google.com/site/fatheralbertmedia/mp3/Exalt_Cross_9-14-15.mp3 Our Lord is a God who loves a paradox. Death came from a tree, so he brought us life through a tree. Death came through serpents, so he brought life through a serpent mounted on a pole. In ancient Rome, Crucifixion was used to mock slaves who were too ambitious - it was a parody of being "raised up" as a King. Christ used the crucifixion to bring our freedom and reveal himself as the True King. The Emperor Constantine had a vision which told him that he...Read More

A Cross-Check on Your Faith

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24th Sunday OT, Year B Deacon Albert St. John the Evangelist Cathedral https://sites.google.com/site/fatheralbertmedia/mp3/24_OT_B_9.mp3   Have you heard of or seen the new, popular video titled “I’m a Christian, but I’m not…”? A few people explain how they are Christian but they tell us “I’m not like them… I’m like the world.” No mention of Christ, no mention of the Cross… “Get behind me Satan!” “You are not thinking as God does, but as human beings do.” So… how does God think? The Cross, the Cross, the Cross. It is the Cross for the sake of our salvation, for the resurrection, but the...Read More

The Small Details

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Huzzah! I went to see Ant-Man a while back and had a blast, but maybe I got too excited. Because I'm all digital and stuff, I decided to try to copy Ant-Man in a way by attempting to shrink down my data and squeezing into different servers and hard drives. I got a little carried away and ended up stuck inside a 3 1/2" floppy disk right before it got ejected. Man, I was worried. I mean, how many people ever even use those things anymore? What were my chances of every getting back into a computer with internet access?...Read More

Is Your Worship in Vain?

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22nd Sunday OT, Year B Deacon Albert St. John the Evangelist Cathedral https://sites.google.com/site/fatheralbertmedia/mp3/22_OT_B.mp3 Does Jesus have a problem with good hygiene? I mean, what is wrong with washing your hands and dishes before you eat? Or with the occasional “purification… of beds?” Surely Jesus doesn’t want us to sleep on sheets full of mildew and put our food on a layer of crumbs and mold from the last meal, does he? Of course not. These things are good in themselves and there is nothing wrong with doing them. But, Jesus has a reputation to uphold. His family honor is on...Read More

Whom will you serve?

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21st Sunday OT, Year B Deacon Albert St. John the Evangelist Cathedral   https://sites.google.com/site/fatheralbertmedia/mp3/21%20OT%20B.mp3 “If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve.” The gods of pop culture and changing fashion, the gods of your imagination and pride, or the gods of the fleeting pleasures of the flesh. As for this house, we will serve the God of reality, the Lord who gave us our flesh and blood and who gave us his own flesh and blood. You see, there is no other option. You either worship the True God or you worship...Read More

Queen and Mother

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Today we celebrate the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This used to mark the end of the Octave of the Assupmtion, eight days of celebrating the special role that Mary had in salvation history and continues to have in the lives of the faithful. Just a week ago, many in the diocese of Lafayette participated in a day long Eucharistic procession by boat down the Bayou Teche in honor of Our Lady of the Assumption. This was significant because this year is the 250th anniversary of the Acadians migration from Nova Scotia to Louisiana where they live today. It...Read More