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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The End Is Near

Posted on November 17, 2019November 17, 2019 by Father Albert

Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, C November 17, 2019Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Repent! The end is near! Repent! To most people, that kind of preaching is a joke, a caricature of a crazy man, out-of-touch with reality, working against his own goals. And yet, any Christian who takes scripture seriously has to acknowledge at least one preacher who made it work: Jesus himself. Jesus began his public ministry with almost the same words: repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand! Now, at the end of his public ministry, what does Jesus...Read More

What We’re Waiting For

Posted on November 10, 2019November 10, 2019 by Father Albert

Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, C November 10, 2019Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Just what are we waiting for? Christians are always talking about heaven… wanting to go there after death, but what does that mean, exactly? Much we don’t know, but there is actually a good bit that we do. Sadly, there are a lot of bad ideas about heaven out there and getting the wrong idea could really mess up your chances of getting there. So, what are we waiting for when we die? In short, we are waiting for the resurrection...Read More

Your Mission

Posted on November 3, 2019November 3, 2019 by Father Albert

Thirty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time, C November 3, 2019Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette What is your mission? The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. But his mission didn’t end with him. We are his body the Church and that mission continues today. Every single one of us shares in that mission to seek and to save what was lost. The first step is to be saved, to let God find and save you. But you’re going to get away with just a general reminder to be a good...Read More

What You’re Meant To Be

Posted on November 1, 2019November 1, 2019 by Father Albert

All Saints Day November 1, 2019Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette “There is only one tragedy in the end, not to have been a saint.” The novelist Leon Bloy once wrote that, and he was right. All the other things in this world that we call tragic will disappear and be nothing at the end of the world. All the money, all the fame, all the power in the world will end when this world ends so it’s not tragic when we fail to get these things. In the end, a person...Read More

Winning By Humility

Posted on October 27, 2019October 27, 2019 by Father Albert

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C October 27, 2019Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette The battle continues. Last week, Christ called us to the combat of perseverance in our prayer. This week is the battle against pride.. Pride is often subtle and those filled with it rarely see themselves clearly enough to know it. So, here are some practical ways to keep your personal prayer free from pride. Don’t compare yourself to others. The reality is that you are unique. Your relationship with God is unique. There are things about you and your relationship...Read More

Like Your Life Depends On It

Posted on October 20, 2019October 20, 2019 by Father Albert

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C October 20, 2019Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette If you’ve ever tried to pray regularly, you know that prayer is a battle. A battle against time, against distractions, against your own selfishness. Sure, most of us have had at least one point in our life where we enjoyed praying, but all of us have experienced a dryness, a boredom, and a downright reluctance to pray. Perhaps this is why almost 75% of Catholics don’t come to Mass every week and that many who do come tend to show...Read More

The Miracle of Gratitude

Posted on October 13, 2019October 13, 2019 by Father Albert

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C October 13, 2019Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette In the developed world, we can cure leprosy with medicine. But in ancient times, leprosy was basically a death sentence. It was also a permanent exile from the community. When leprosy was healed by some act of God, it was a big deal, a rare life-changing miracle. And yet, for the ancient Israelites, it wasn’t all that rare. In Leviticus, the book of laws that God gave to the Israelites, there was a ritual, a standard practice for what to...Read More

The Roots That Matter

Posted on October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 by Father Albert

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, C October 6, 2019Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Really, Jesus? Be uprooted and planted in the sea? I mean, why would anyone even want to waste so much power on such a bizarre thing? I guess it could have saved the government some money 8 years ago when they moved that giant oak tree along highway 90, but otherwise, who would put a tree in the sea? No one would. Jesus doesn’t actually want his disciples to try a stunt like that, but it does give us a striking...Read More

What Did I Do Wrong?

Posted on September 29, 2019October 15, 2019 by Father Albert

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C September 29, 2019Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette To maintain order in my classroom, I used a warning system that involved writing students’ names on the board. Sometimes, when I wrote a name, I would get an immediate reaction from the child “But I didn’t do anything wrong! What did I dooo?” I wonder if the rich man in this parable had that same reaction? Because it’s not like he killed anyone, or stole anything, or lied, or worshiped pagan idols. He never hurt Lazarus. What was so...Read More

Dishonest Wealth

Posted on September 25, 2019September 25, 2019 by Father Albert

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C September 22, 2019Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette So, I keep saying that I see potential in this parish. Allow me to offer a list of possibilities during my term as pastor: establish a youth group, improve the parking lot, hire an outreach coordinator, deal with the old convent and school, offer ongoing adult formation in the parish, restore some of the Church’s former beauty, enrich our music program, start a children’s choir, host parish missions for lent and advent, increase our service to the poor, improve lighting...Read More