Tag: eucharist

Homily for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time: Advice from St. James

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22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, B                                                                 August 29, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/VkGRk39UBKc?t=1173 Last week concluded our month long focus on the Eucharist and the sacraments in general. As encounters with God himself, these liturgical events are essential to our religion; crucial in getting us to heaven. Nonetheless, our religion is not summed up by just being in the Church building. Indeed, even the sacraments themselves point us outwards – Holy Orders, Marriage, and Confirmation are each there to equip Catholics for love and service to their neighbor. There’s a reason for this. When asked about...Read More

Homily for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time: Eucharistic Coherence

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21st Sunday of Ordinary Time, B                                                                  August 22, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/YgEbIEjTHfM “If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve.” For five weeks we’ve journeyed through John chapter 6. We’ve reflected on hunger and weakness and fasting. We’ve considered the limitations of this world and that we need to work at having faith to live from an eternal perspective. We’ve challenged the temptation of focusing too much on what we can get instead of what we can give. We’ve rejoiced at the promises of the Eucharist, especially...Read More

Homily for the Assumption of Mary: The Bodily Promise of Glory

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Assumption of Mary                                                                                       August 15, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/691Gxq-cc34 "From this day all generations will call me blessed.” So Mary proclaims in a moment of great joy. Indeed, we are interrupting our journey through John Chapter 6 to acclaim the blessedness of Mary. Why, though? Why honor Mary in this way? Because “the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name.” Yes, as always when we honor a saint, we are ultimately honoring what God has done in and through that saint. That’s truer of Mary than anyone else....Read More

Homily for the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Food Worth Working For

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18th Sunday of Ordinary Time, B                                                                              July 25th, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/bQM64w1JMeg “You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” Is that what you’re doing? I said last week that hunger and need is good… that we actually should be hungry for what Jesus offers. It’s still true, but hunger can also mislead. This crowd begins with a willingness to sacrifice food to get to Jesus but ends up following Jesus precisely because he can give them food. That’s me! I have done that...Read More

Homily for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time: It Begins With Hunger

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17th Sunday of Ordinary Time, B                                                                              July 25th, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/SbCpnC6Ad1Q Are you hungry? Are you willing to be hungry? Because that’s how this whole thing starts. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, the gift where God literally gives us himself… and it started with a crowd that was willing to go hungry. Not that they said anything about being hungry. These people saw paralyzed men get up and walk, fevers disappear, leprosy wiped away by Jesus. So they followed him without cell phones and google maps. Jesus was...Read More

Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Lord Is Our Shepherd

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16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, B                                                                              July 18th, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/VD8LvVmGWeM “Like sheep without a shepherd.” It’s too easy to make these readings about pointing fingers; To point at the pope’s latest controversy or at the failures of various bishops or at whatever pastor did whatever you think was a problem. Online I’m sure you’ll find homilies and articles and blog posts that do exactly that this weekend. What good will it do? If you hear a homily or read something that uses the first reading and takes...Read More

Homily for the Sacred Heart of Jesus on my 5th Anniversary: A Real Love

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Sacred Heart of Jesus, B                     5th Anniversary of Ordination                         June 11, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/wtPxYLspLDs Five years ago today, and very nearly to the hour, I was ordained a priest in a different Church named St. John the Evangelist. It was our Cathedral, and it was the first priestly ordination in the diocese for our new bishop, Douglas Deshotel. There’s a reason for the specificity and it’s not because I think I’m special. My ordination is not about me. It is the concrete manifestation of God’s ongoing love for us. This...Read More

Homily for Corpus Christi: To Be Holy

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Corpus Christ, B                                                                                                         June 6, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/fBzupiSJ_MA On October 10, 2020 in Assisi, the Church beatified a young Italian named Carlo. He was born in 1991, meaning he would be younger than me if he were still alive. He is the first millennial to be beatified, which is the last step before being canonized as a saint. When we say that word – saint – we tend to picture 16th century nuns or old miracle-working priests or paintings with halos. We imagine them praying or fasting or...Read More

Pastor Column: Being Together

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From the bulletin of May 30, 2021      With the restoration of the Sunday Obligation, I have decided to end livestreaming of Masses. June 6 will be the last streamed Mass. On certain special occasions, we may sometimes record and/or stream, but not on a weekly or daily basis. The reason for this is simple: I want to incentivize and prioritize us being together for Mass. Our attendance is barely more than half of what it was during the pandemic and, quite frankly, I miss seeing my people. The Lord misses them too.      With a year’s worth of experience,...Read More

Homily for Ascension Sunday, B: The Work of Love

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Ascension Sunday, B                                                                                                  May 16, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/vQfcazDSmdE The Bishop asked that this letter be read during the homily: "Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Diocese of Lafayette, the third commandment of God obliges us to keep holy the Lord's Day. This commandment is fulfilled when we give God the most perfect worship possible, the worship of Jesus Christ himself in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We also observe it by works of charity, spiritual reading, and refraining from unnecessary servile labor to spend time with family...Read More