Tag: advent

Clothed in Light: Homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent

Posted on by Father Albert
1st Sunday of Advent, A                                                                                 November 27, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/HNfv0y0DZtg When I was a college student at UL, one of things I enjoyed in an almost unconscious way was the big oak trees, especially along E. St. Mary and McKinley. They lend a sort of majesty to the campus. Just this past week, I was on campus and noticed that the trees had already had lights winding up their trunks. Illuminating the whole area, these lights called attention to the shape and size of the trees, drawing...Read More

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent: Visiting Faith Upon The World

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4th Sunday of Advent, C                                                                                December 19, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/NsURWAp8Pik “Blessed are you who believed.” This is the way. I fear that too many people may have heard least week’s homily and concluded that the solution to anxiety is just gratitude. Gratitude does help to overcome anxiety, but the kind of gratitude that actually works depends on what is really the answer: faith. If you recall, the point I made was that, in the face of anxiety, we are called to trust so deeply in God’s providence that we can turn around and thank...Read More

Homily for the 3rd Week of Advent: Beating Anxiety

Posted on by Father Albert
3rd Sunday of Advent, C                                                                                December 12, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/sFDcOJ9jJHM Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel. It is Guadete Sunday, from the Latin word for rejoice… the same word used in that ancient and beautiful hymn and in our entrance antiphon. And that is not just a verb. It’s not just describing rejoicing. It is in the imperative mood, it is commanding us, saying “you must rejoice!” But to get there, we should perhaps first try to follow another command, one that St. Paul gives in the second reading: “Have no...Read More

Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Advent: Preparing the Way for Grace

Posted on by Father Albert
2nd Sunday of Advent, C                                                                               December 5, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/Ec3WmCxwSBI Last week I urged you work at almsgiving, prayer, and fasting in order to be blameless in holiness. The world will end and it will end in great tribulation. The difference between our being victims on that day and our being victors on that day is this holiness. Please recall, however, that I warned you not to take up these sacred practices – almsgiving, prayer, and fasting – as proof of your own strength but as cooperation with grace, because it is grace that...Read More

Homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent: Strong of Heart

Posted on by Father Albert
1st Sunday of Advent, B                                                                                 November 28, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/fdpnHZ8CicE So it begins. Today starts the Catholic new year, when our liturgical calendar starts all over. The birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, the descent of the Holy Spirit. Again and again we cycle through these events, with the looming promise that one year, the cycle will end forever. Jesus will come a second time and that will be it. It’s why the first week of Advent doesn’t even mention Jesus’ birth. It’s why, at the start of what many people call...Read More

Pastor Column: Making the Most of Advent

Posted on by Father Albert
[Note: This is not the weekly homily.] This is an article from the bulletin of November 28, 2021      It’s already begun. So many people would say it is already the Christmas season. Whether it started the day after Halloween or at 4pm on Thanksgiving Day, most of the country began putting up decorations and wishing each other a “Merry Christmas” or a “Happy Holidays.” People look forward to this time all year long, so once they get the chance to get started, they jump at the opportunity. And you know what? Fine. People are free to act as they...Read More

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

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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

Pastor Column: Winter Ember Days

Posted on by Father Albert
From the bulletin of December 13, 2020           We’ll pause temporarily on our journey through Rerum Novarum to remember an ancient practice called the “Ember Days.” You may remember that we’ve observed these before. The Ember Days are a traditional time of prayer and fasting connected to each season of the year. The idea is to sanctify – to make holy – each  season. While not as popular now, the practice of fasting has always been a central part of the Christian call to holiness. It purifies our attachment to food, reminds us of the fact that many go without,...Read More