The Prize of Participation

Corpus Christi, A                                                                                                        June 14, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/sUR4Td2v0oI People often like to make fun of the idea of a participation trophy. Some even claim we spoiled a whole generation by celebrating their ordinariness instead of challenging them to truly excel through competition. So, what do we hear when St. Paul talks about participation? When he says, “The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” Does this mean the Eucharist is something you get for just...Read More

The Awful Mystery

Trinity Sunday, A                                                                                                       June 7, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of the 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/c6QNZhfHWvw If you think you understand the Trinity, you’re wrong. If you don’t believe in the Trinity, you’re wrong. Perhaps more than anything else, this mystery of the faith is the most humbling because we are forced into the position of firmly believing what we cannot possibly understand while we are also expected to try to understand. In other words, we have to try to do something even though we know we’re going to...Read More

Given to Break the Barrier

Pentecost Sunday, A                                                                                                   May 31, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of Mass: https://youtu.be/ZU7ExFUPT4g “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” That’s a quote from a comedy in the 90s when I was a kid. Kids today might know the movie, but more likely they’ve only seen the meme that uses that scene. Memes are interesting. Short clips, iconic pictures, or really great lines sometimes transcend their original context to become a standalone piece of the online culture. What’s interesting about them is what...Read More

To Shouts of Joy

Solemnity of the Ascension, A                                                                                   May 24, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of 8AM Mass: https://youtu.be/N-I0uCsPXIg “God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.” That’s my favorite response of the whole year. I look forward to it every time Ascension rolls around. Not just the music – there are different versions that are all pretty good – but what it says, what it means to me… to us if we’re paying attention. I mean, if we’re honest, most people pay no attention to...Read More

Homily for the 6th Sunday of Easter: Reason For Hope

6th Sunday of Easter, A                                                                                              May 17, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of the 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/YBtLrtXJleA “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.” Does that mean it’s God’s will for us to suffer? Yes. Sometimes, it is God’s will that you suffer. There are different ways this happens… and different reasons for it. Suffering is an unavoidable part of life, so this teaching from St. Peter, our first pope, is actually more hopeful than it sounds. It...Read More

Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter: To Be Priests

5th Sunday of Easter, A                                                                                              May 10, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pyh42WHY1k& What does it mean to be a priest? It’s a question, most people don’t often think to ask; one of those things everyone kind of already knows but no one really knows how to explain. If you do ask someone, you’ll hear answers like this: “a person who minsters to others.” “A professional religious person.” “A preacher or pastor.” “A person who prays for people and leads services.” These aren’t completely wrong, but they miss the point....Read More

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter: The Patient Shepherd

4th Sunday of Easter, A                                                                                              May 3, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video for the Mass: https://youtu.be/Kz4bl1hPIVg “In verdant pastures he gives me repose.” What a day to proclaim this psalm when, after a long time away, we can gather together as God’s flock on a beautiful day in this pasture of our Church. “You spread a table before me.” And what a joy it is to finally spread before you this table of the Lord’s Body and Blood after two months of distance and hunger! “I came so that they...Read More

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter: The Path We Walk

3rd Sunday of Easter, A                                                                                             April 26, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of whole Mass: https://youtu.be/qbP3ttkVaKc If the Last Supper was the first Mass, then what we read today is the second. The same basic structure is there: Jesus teaches from Scripture, recalling important passages but explains to them what it means. he takes bread, blesses it, breaks, and gives it to them. Take, Bless, Break, and Give – these are the same four actions of Jesus at the Last Supper, when he institutes the Eucharist. To top it off,...Read More

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday: Dispersed Faith

Divine Mercy Sunday                                                                                                 April 19, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of Mass: https://youtu.be/u6Erxe3n9WI Dispersed. That’s the context. The second reading, from the first letter of St. Peter, is addressed to those who have been dispersed. For the Ancient Israelites, a central part of their religious and cultural identity rested on God’s promise of a land to call their own. The Promised Land was and still is a crucial theme for all of Scripture. This idea of a divinely-given homeland made it all the more painful, therefore, for a Jew...Read More

Homily for Easter Sunday: Exclusive Salvation

Easter Vigil/Sunday Part 3 of Triduum 2020            April 11, 2020Fr. Albert                            St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Part 1 - Holy Thursday Part 2 - Good Friday Video of whole Mass If you thought the Last Supper was exclusive, or that access to Jesus on the Cross was exclusive, you must realize much more so is what we celebrate now: the resurrection of Jesus Christ; So exclusive that no one gets to be there. The resurrection happens inside a sealed tomb with no witnesses. No radio broadcast, no recordings, no livestream. Just Jesus...Read More