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.

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Pastor Column: 7 Notes on Development Part I

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of July 19, 2020      As we saw last week, Cardinal Newman was an English saint who was known for his teaching, theology, and good example. One of his better known contributions to the Church’s tradition is his essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, in which he gives 7 “notes” which help us to see the difference between a development of doctrine and a divergence from doctrine (also known as heresy). I will try to summarize and explain each of these notes. They can be a little hard to understand, but they are nonetheless a good...Read More

The Waste of Grace

Posted on by Father Albert
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                              July 12, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/Mql4NaKBDL4 What a waste! All that seed wasted on the path, the rocky ground, and the thorns. It’s the sower’s fault, isn’t it, for throwing all that seed there in the first place? But Jesus blames the ground… like it had a choice in whether or not it was walked on, rocky, or full of thorns. I mean, when the plants in my garden don’t grow well, is it the dirt’s fault? Or mine...Read More

Spirit of Freedom

Posted on by Father Albert
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                              July 5, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/x38f1Fxdtv4 “His dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the Earth.” That’s the promise of the prophet Zechariah… what he claims will happen when the Messiah, the king comes riding on a donkey. We know this to be Jesus Christ who rode a donkey into Jerusalem. We also know that, just a week later, this same anointed king was put to death on the cross. And...Read More

To Receive

Posted on by Father Albert
13 Sunday of Ordinary Time. A                                                                                 June 28, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/ft07H9ij7Cs I want to tell you about Fr. Tim. As a child, Fr. Tim was a mystery to me; this foreign priest occasionally present at family gatherings; a quiet man with an accent. I’m not sure I ever had a conversation with him, but it was evident that he was a respected friend of my grandparents and so afforded at least a polite respect from the rest of the family. So he remains a...Read More

Reasonable Fear

Posted on by Father Albert
12 Sunday of Ordinary Time. A                                                                                 June 21, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/Mh55zEHBIF8 “Fear no one!” This man has just told his Apostles that they will be slandered, persecuted, and hated. He said that brothers will have their own brothers killed and that there will even be children who have their own parents put to death. And then this man, this Jesus has the gall to say, “fear no one.” Can you imagine if your own son or daughter were to have you executed? Would the...Read More

Just Accept It

Posted on by Father Albert
Sacred Heart of Jesus, A                                                                                             June 19, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Video of Mass: https://youtu.be/d5e9vYvW0To “It was not because you are the largest of all nations that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you… it was because the LORD loved you.” So Moses tells our spiritual ancestors, the Israelites. So we need to hear today. It was not because you were good that the Lord set his heart on you. It was not because you were wealthy or pious or influential or attractive that the Lord...Read More

The Prize of Participation

Posted on by Father Albert
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

Posted on by Father Albert
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

Posted on by Father Albert
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

Posted on by Father Albert
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