Category: Homilies

I post the text and audio of my Sunday homilies here for anyone who wants to go back to something they liked or catch something they missed. I sometimes include links to resources that I mention, so that you aren’t left guessing how to follow up on anything I may have challenged you to do.

I put up every weekend homily and the homilies for special feast days like Christmas or the Assumption.

Get an email for each new Homily!

Join 1,449 other subscribers

Worth It: Homily for the 17th Sunday OT 2026

Posted on July 26, 2026 by Father Albert

16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A July 26, 2026Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magadalen, Abbeville, LA https://youtu.be/l7tpqzU2ojc “Worth it!” That’s what I said when I got off the record-breaking roller coaster Steel Vengeance. Despite the annoyance of traveling to Ohio, despite the cost of the tickets, and despite the hours of waiting in line, it was “worth it.” That’s a fairly insignificant example the fact that the good things in life often cost us something. Jesus is tapping into that common human experience to make his point about the kingdom of heaven. The pearl of great price,...Read More

Our Transfigured Sister: Homily for Mary Magdalen’s Patronal Feast 2026

Posted on July 19, 2026 by Father Albert

Solemnity of St. Mary Magdalen, Patron of the Parish July 19, 2026Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magadalen, Abbeville, LA https://youtu.be/ZcUhwWttMS0 The best day of my life was also the worst day of my life… if you can call that time period a “day.” It was more like a blur of three days where I’m not sure I slept or ate much. Reeling from a grace-filled decision to walk away from someone I loved and but still ensnared in a life I resented, I reached out desperately for mercy… and found it. Who knows how many nights I...Read More

Sowing Like A Saint: Homily for the 15th Sunday OT 2026

Posted on July 12, 2026July 12, 2026 by Father Albert

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A July 12, 2026Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magadalen, Abbeville, LA https://youtu.be/HDyntm7cwYM We’re practically surrounded by farms here, so tell me this: when farmers plant crops, do they just throw the seeds all over the place? Just let them fall wherever as they wander through their fields? What I see are neatly laid-out rows, carefully dug, turned over, well-watered, and seeded in very intentional way. So, what’s the deal with this sower? He seems unconcerned about the practical and brutal realities of the natural world. Does he not know that “creation was...Read More

Good Pope John, Atlas, and Jesus: Homily for the 14th Sunday OT 2026

Posted on July 5, 2026July 4, 2026 by Father Albert

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A July 5, 2026Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magadalen, Abbeville, LA https://youtu.be/KgZ4tKC2slo “It’s your church, Lord, I’m going to bed.” Pope St. John XXIII famously prayed that prayer often when he was pope. In the Church’s understanding, a parish pastor only has to worry about a single parish. A bishop is responsible for a whole diocese, but usually just the one. The pope, however, is in some way responsible for every soul on earth. It makes me think of the titan Atlas from Greek mythology, doomed to hold the world on his...Read More

Hosting for Heavenly Reasons: Homily for the 13th Sunday OT 2026

Posted on June 28, 2026June 28, 2026 by Father Albert

13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A June 28, 2026Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magadalen, Abbeville, LA https://youtu.be/fwLnWLQ7UDg Toys were on the floor, the laundry was in process, but not done… is it ever done, really? But the room was prepared and there was food. One night, we even ate leftovers. I was not seeing a façade, but their actual lives through real hospitality. I’m talking about my recent visit to my family. Between my parents and my brother, I was a guest for over a week. They weren’t worried I’d see the mess because I’m family and...Read More

Like He’s a Real Person: Homily for Trinity Sunday 2026

Posted on May 31, 2026May 31, 2026 by Father Albert

Holy Trinity, A May 31, 2026Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/-oHpQzbhxJQ “Wow, it’s like he’s a real person now.” It’s the kind of thing you might say that about a young child you haven’t seen since they were a baby. It doesn’t mean the child wasn’t a person before, just that your experience of that child’s personality is more obvious. Some people aren’t great with babies because they don’t know what to do, but once the children get to an age where they can think rationally and talk and do all the usual human...Read More

To Touch The Sky: Homily for the Feast of Pentecost 2026

Posted on May 24, 2026May 24, 2026 by Father Albert

Pentecost, A May 24, 2026Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/vA2qnc-syaI “They gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language.” Why is it confusing to hear someone speak your native language? Shouldn’t that make things less confusing? Apparently not for this crowd. Nor is it really any different today. You can find a sub-genre of prank videos where someone is talking to people from another country in English before switching to fluently speaking the native language of the other person. Every time, the...Read More

Phenomenal Mercy, Morality, and Mission: Homily for the Ascension 2026

Posted on May 17, 2026May 31, 2026 by Father Albert

Ascension, A May 17, 2026Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/w6L_PEc6sV8 N.B. This is the third and final part of a series. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. As a young boy, my favorite animated movie was ‘Aladdin.” In it a young man finds a magic lamp containing a genie who can grant him three wishes. Voiced by the iconic Robin Williams, one of the genie’s most memorable lines is “phenomenal cosmic power, itty bitty living space” – something he says while describing the fact that he is permanently bound to the...Read More

Prophets of Word, Wonder, and Woe: Homily for the 6th Sunday of Easter 2026

Posted on May 10, 2026May 31, 2026 by Father Albert

6th Sunday of Easter, A May 10, 2026Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/WjSH7jVxWws N.B. This is part 2 of a series. Part 1 is here. “He is going to marry that girl.” It sometimes happens that a parent says this about their child’s newest love interest without even meeting the love interest in question. Friends sometimes do the same thing. It’s what I said about my friend Adam when he first described his then-new-girlfriend to me, even though I never met her. And marry her he did. I didn’t know her but I got...Read More

Priests Who Pay, Pray, and Obey: Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter 2026

Posted on May 3, 2026May 10, 2026 by Father Albert

5th Sunday of Easter, A May 3, 2026Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/5ZnSVF48c8Y “Thank you for your priesthood!” No, really, I am grateful for it. Your priesthood, I mean. Normally, of course, someone says that to an ordained priest. I hear it all the time, probably once a week if not more, especially with Good Shepherd Sunday last week. Really, I appreciate that and I earnestly desire to live my priesthood in a way that gives others something to be grateful for. For all that, however, it is crucial that you embrace your priesthood,...Read More