Category: Homilies

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                  October 11, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/UyhN9eSo6tA And the award for the most commonly misused bible quote goes to “I can do all things in [Christ] who strengthens me.” Bumper stickers, business logos, sports mottos, and many others love to use this uplifting quote. And why not? Life can be tough, so people often need a reminder that there is hope, that we can survive. The problem is that using this quote incorrectly will only make things worse. When you use this to motivate a sports team...Read More

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A (focus on 2nd reading)                             October 4, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/PLIfPvti7nA “Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” Does that statement make you anxious? The Jewish leaders that Jesus is talking to are certainly anxious. The life and teaching of Jesus threaten to change their hard-won power in Jerusalem and their anxiety and anger drive them to the point of having Jesus arrested, tortured, and executed. As God turns...Read More

25th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                  September 20, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/_RYOIHmDjfg The sugarcane harvest is starting, so for the next four months or so will see many, many people working 12-hour days and more. How would they feel if people showed up in the last hour of the day and got paid the same amount? But that is exactly what happens in the parable. Now, this is not exactly business advice. Jesus is not teaching that business owners should always pay a full day’s wage...Read More

23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                  September 6, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/ITpHMmgwkmQ “Love is love.” “Love trumps hate.” “Love wins” It’s a popular tactic to include “love” in slogans for political and social movements. St. Paul does something similar. “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another.” Jesus himself sums up the entire Jewish law with a similar phrase: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which St. Paul repeats here. But there are two very important questions. What. Is. Love? Why should I love? That’s where...Read More

21st Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                  August 23, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/FJ-LHdThtl4 Have you ever been attacked by a gate? Lost a fight to one? I mean, Jesus says “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against” the church that he will build on a rock. A church and a gate… two inanimate objects – how can one of them “prevail” against the other? I think most people just interpret this passage as if the netherworld is on the offense and the Church is the...Read More