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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Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: The Blessing

Posted on by Father Albert
Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God                                                         January 1, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/jy9roxeL15M Merry Christmas! We’re still celebrating it you know. The Christmas season lasts until the middle of January – or even to February 2nd if you follow the old calendar. More importantly, today/Friday marks the 8th day, the octave day of the feast of Christ’s birth. As with music, an octave is the same thing in a different register. Christmas is so important, so profound that we spend 8 whole days re-entering into it, celebrating it, and – as Mary...Read More

Homily for Patronal Feast of St. John the Evangelist: Clothed in Love

Posted on by Father Albert
Patronal Feast of St. John the Evangelist                                                       December 27, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/qpuoOnauNvM          From the baby Jesus to boiling oil… That could be the title of St. John’s autobiography. The life of this man, our patron saint, is a fitting testimony that the joy we’ve just celebrated doesn’t stop with a few nice presents but extends straight through the worst parts of the human condition, through death itself into eternal life. All the other apostles were martyred brutally for proclaiming this truth. Like them, society wanted to kill John for...Read More

Homily for Christmas: What Should I Get Him?

Posted on by Father Albert
Christmas                                                                                                        December 25, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/gns-hSBBzXE What should I get them? Especially after a year like 2020, we’ve all asked this question countless times these past few months. What kind of gift is the best thing to give to my loved ones? How best to convey the love and hope they most need to receive? What makes for a good gift? Expensive? Thoughtful? Practical? Helpful? Like most children, as a kid I often thought the most expensive gifts were the best. The Playstation 2… the new computer – knowing...Read More

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent: The Secret of Joy

Posted on by Father Albert
4th Sunday of Advent, B                                                                                December 20, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/DHSpmke_dnI Do you know the secret? This advent, I’ve warned you about the end of the world. I’ve told you to follow the Holy Spirit. I’ve called you to rejoice and promised you joy as a result. But are aware of the secret to this world-ending, spirit-filled, unbeatable joy? The secret is poverty. That might surprise you. You’ve surely heard the maxim “money can’t buy happiness,” but this goes a bit further than that. Scripture is actually pretty clear about it...Read More

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent: Rejoice!

Posted on by Father Albert
3rd Sunday of Advent, B                                                                                December 13, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/lNXlwOj7IVg ♫Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel♫. That joyful refrain is from one of the best known hymns in the Christian tradition. And it is a great time to sing it since today is Gaudete Sunday, Latin word that means “rejoice.” That’s why I am wearing this bright color, because rose vestments represent great joy. The Lord is near, our salvation is at hand, and our anticipation is building. And the longer we’ve waited, the greater our joy....Read More

Homily for the Immaculate Conception: What Mary Knows

Posted on by Father Albert
Immaculate Conception                                                                                  December 8, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/qx3mpYP2VNg Mary, did you know? If you’re not familiar, that is the title of a popular song that circulates around this time of year. After centuries of being almost anti-Marian, it is encouraging to see many protestants take another look at Mary with the affection that we hear in this song. It makes for some pretty music and many people want to hear it at Church and while they’re out and about during this run up to Christmas. For all its merits, however, what...Read More

Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Advent: Why Wait?

Posted on by Father Albert
2nd Sunday of Advent, B                                                                               December 6, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/_xhplRF-n6E Why wait? It’s been a tough year, why wait to have the Christmas parties? Why not have the gifts now? It’s been a tough twenty centuries, why does God wait? Why has it taken more than 2000 years for Jesus to come again and just put an end to this mess of a world? Peter addresses that question in our second reading. His answer is simple: God waits so that we have time to repent. St. Peter tells us that...Read More

Homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent: Journey or Destination?

Posted on by Father Albert
1st Sunday of Advent, B                                                                                November 29, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/yVT9H1--wTw “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.” You’ve probably heard that in conversation or on TV, or perhaps read it on cards and inspirational placards. As a reminder to take our time and enjoy things on our way through life, it speaks to an important truth. Yet, taken at face value, it is actually quite wrong and dangerously so. When you apply it to life as a whole, the saying can leave a person in existential dread, wondering...Read More

Homily for Christ the King: Try To Take Over The World

Posted on by Father Albert
Christ the King, A                                                                                          November 22, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/Lzj5ANflSsQ Since today is such a special feast, what do you want to do today? The same thing we do every day, try to take over the world. That’s a reference to a favorite cartoon from childhood, one that just resurfaced this week. If you work from a Christian understanding of conquest, it’s actually a great answer. Now, words like conquest, empire and destruction probably don’t sound like Christian ideas. Yet, these are important themes for this solemn feast. The same God-man...Read More

Homily for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, A: The Master’s Joy

Posted on by Father Albert
33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                  November 15, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/OgEIf095Evg I always loved and hated talents shows. Loved them because I got to see unexpected abilities and surprising creativity from friends and classmates. Hated them because I never felt like I had a talent worth sharing and felt bad for not being able to contribute. Whenever we hear this parable, I suspect that many people feel something similar. The parable even uses the word “talent,” which is actually where we get the word from. Originally it was a measurement of...Read More