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.

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How Ought We To Pray? Homily for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Father Albert
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                               July 23, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/XzE9cl6zTII “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought.” That’s comforting, but it does raise an important question: How “ought” we to pray? Last week we heard about the groaning of all creation and how we are awaiting “adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” We used this to reflect on how that groaning and hope allow us to “consider the sufferings of this present time as nothing.” Today’s section...Read More

Considered Suffering: Homily for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Father Albert
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                               July 16, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/fmqitH9yJVY “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing.” Isn’t that a bit callous? If you tell someone in serious pain that their pain is nothing, people would think you are insensitive, cold-hearted, mean. Rightly so, too. But that’s not what St. Paul is saying in our second reading. We need to pay attention to what he actually says. He doesn’t say “suck it up” or “your pain is nothing.” He says he “considers” the suffering is...Read More

Receiving Whom? Homily for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Father Albert
13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                               July 2, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/bnhQLxlvbwQ “Whoever receives you receives me.” Just this past week, I was at the anniversary Mass of a couple celebrating 20 years of marriage. That’s not terribly unusual, the Church provides special prayers for such moments and there’s always a few couples in every parish who will take advantage of such an offer. What was unusual about this one, however, was that it was celebrated by 3 priests. As the main celebrant – not me – pointed out, the reason for...Read More

All Will Be Revealed: Homily for the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Father Albert
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                               June 25, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/QNoeHhjIgmo “Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed.” Does that frighten you a little bit? It does me. There are things in my life I would rather remain concealed. I’m sure that’s true for every human being. It’s also true that there are things which should not be publicized. Jesus is not suggesting we shout out our every fault and sin in public. There is such a thing as prudent silence, discretion, and confidentiality. Indeed, the sacrament of Confession is...Read More

The Authority of a Father: Homily for 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Father Albert
11th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                               June 18, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/hRhiLEarpgY “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Who do you think are these laborers he’s talking about? What are we praying for more of? If you think it’s “priests,” you’re not wrong. After all, Jesus immediately follows this with appointing 12 Apostles and giving them authority to be his laborers. Pray for vocations. I know there are young men in this parish right now...Read More

How Can We? Homily for Corpus Christi

Posted on by Father Albert
Corpus Christ, A                                                                                                         June 11, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/LYlfEG19rpk “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” How indeed? In almost every culture, cannibalism is recognized as something repugnant, unacceptable, evil. Eating human flesh is almost always sinful because the dignity of the human person extends even to their body. Only the rarest of exceptions – as a last resort for survival – could such a thing even begin to be conceivable, though many would still prefer to die than eat someone. For the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day, it...Read More

What Unity Means: Homily for Trinity Sunday

Posted on by Father Albert
Trinity Sunday, A                                                                                                       June 4, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/7CSgy6PHzs4 You may have noticed that instead of the usual greeting of “the Lord be with you” at the beginning of Mass, I said: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the [communion] of the Holy Spirit be with [you all].” Then we heard something very similar from the conclusion of our second reading, which is also the end of St. Paul’s Second letter to the Corinthians. Indeed, the greeting I used came from that part of scripture...Read More

What That Power Can Do: Homily for Pentecost Sunday

Posted on by Father Albert
Pentecost Sunday                                                                                            May 28, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/3Hrt3-06meQ Have you thought about it? About what you would do with more power? For those of you who weren’t at the 4pm Mass last week, I asked everyone to consider what they would do with more power. I explained that Jesus had all power in heaven and on earth and used it on a single command: “go make disciples, baptizing them…” I explained that power is not found in fear and coercion, but in the ability to give others the freedom to choose what is...Read More

You’ve Got the Power: Homily for the Ascension 2023

Posted on by Father Albert
Ascension of our Lord                                                                                                May 21, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/s3uqxmmtueA [N.B. The Sunday Mass was Confirmation, preached by Fr. Blanda so this homily was only given at the Saturday 4 PM Mass] What would you do with more power? Make your own life easier? Get even with some people? Fix some local problems? What would you do with all the power? Solve world hunger? Cure diseases? Save the environment? Change laws? If I had the power to make one law that couldn’t be reversed, I’d probably make it illegal for anyone to own...Read More

Facts or Feelings: Homily for the 6th Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Father Albert
6th Sunday of Easter, A                                                                                               May 14, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/C2jvFoaZKcs “Facts don’t care about your feelings.” If you’ve spent any time on the internet or watching debates on TV, you’ve probably come across that claim or something similar. It’s this idea that the truth is what it is, regardless of our experiences and how we feel. People on the Right often use this kind of phrase, but there’s a similar claim by those on the Left. In their efforts to overturn a tradition or reject a certain heritage, they will suggest that...Read More