Tag: Jesus

What I Really Want: Homily for Vermilion Catholic Oct 10 2024

Posted on by Father Albert
Thursday 27th Week OT                                                                                 October 10, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/CKqZAccHXt0 What if I want to eat a snake instead of fish? What if scorpions are just the crawfish of the desert? Boil em up, season em, and start dipping em in the right sauce, and maybe they’re even better than eggs! Had Jesus been talking to a crowd of Cajuns, he probably would have used different examples for things people don’t want to eat. But the point is the same: when we ask God for our “daily bread,” he isn’t going to trick...Read More

Tradition and tradition: Homily for the 22nd Sunday OT 2024

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22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, B                                                                  September 1, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville https://youtu.be/J_-YLi6Z7_I “In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.’ You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition.” I know a lot of people hear that line and think it’s a bit ironic for Catholics of all people to be proclaiming it from the pulpit. After all, aren’t we Catholics all about tradition? Rituals, memorized prayers, rote gestures… It is even part of Catholic teaching that Scripture and Tradition are together the “one sacred deposit of Word of...Read More

The Celebration Continues: Homily for the Queenship of Mary 2024

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Queenship of Mary                                                                                         August 22, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville N.B. This is a sequel to the homily for the Assumption of Mary. https://youtu.be/u4GFnnLurpM A week later and here we are again, celebrating something about Mary the Mother of God. Once again, it is worth asking: why? As with her Assumption into heaven, there are many reasons that all come back to one reason: to glorify Jesus Christ her son, God incarnate. And what is it that we celebrate this time? Mary’s queenship. It’s not an accident that it is exactly a week after...Read More

How to Face the Devil: Homily for the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2024

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10th Sunday of Ordinary Time, B                                                                               June 9, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/7jJ_LRBpZNw There are two extremes that get the devil wrong. One is to deny he exists at all, to reduce him to a myth or literary symbol. The snake is a literary symbol, but it a symbol that represents the very real fallen angel named Satan. When we deny his existence, we leave ourselves defenseless. If a Catholic denies the existence of the devil, he risks the sin of heresy and being cut off from God’s grace. The...Read More

Body, Love, Glory: Homily for Corpus Christi 2024

Posted on by Father Albert
Corpus Christi, B                                                                                                        June 2, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/SHuPAApGo2A Last week, I spoke about “union” as if it was obvious that it was something everyone would want. Well, maybe it isn’t obvious to you. Maybe you aren’t sure what I mean by union and therefore aren’t sure why it’s something you would want to “will” for yourself or “will” as the “good of the other person.” What is union? Why do we want it? A friend of mine shared a story with me about a young man who was...Read More

What is the Holy Spirit? Homily for Pentecost 2024

Posted on by Father Albert
Pentecost, B                                                                                                                May 19, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/J6WTq0Qr46k What is the Holy Spirit to you? Really, I should say “who” is the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is a person! Yes, Jesus sometimes talks about the power of the Holy Spirit in a more abstract way, but we see the personal dimension in today/tomorrow’s gospel. Jesus says “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” Hear how personal that is? “He will guide you.” So, while Pentecost is about the fantastic...Read More

The Gift of Going Away: Homily for the Ascension 2024

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Solemnity of the Ascension, B                                                                                   May 12, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/bORFb1E3u2M St. Paul tells us that Jesus “ascended on high; he gave gifts to men.” What gifts? The power of the Holy Spirit to become witnesses of Jesus to the whole world. Power for exorcisms, healings, miraculous communications and survival. And not just to the Apostles long ago. To this day, these signs happen throughout the world in conjunction with the proclamation of the gospel by laity and clergy alike. Neither does this power to bear witness only come in...Read More

A Silence That Conquers: Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter 2024

Posted on by Father Albert
5th Sunday of Easter, B                                                                                   April 28, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/yvVT2H8I6Y8 Darkness is the absence of light. Cold is the absence of heat. You can’t “get rid of” darkness and cold. You can only overcome them by adding light and heat. So also with evil. Evil is the absence of good. We don’t defeat evil just by fighting it really hard or running away from it. We defeat evil by running toward what is good and by allowing good to fill us such that it pushes evil away. But what about silence? Sure,...Read More

Love So Absurd: Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter 2024

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4th Sunday of Easter, B                                                                                   April 21, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette I love animals. I grew up with dogs, I often play with pets when I visit people’s homes, and I enjoy adorable animal videos as much as anyone. For all that, however, I’d never actually risk my life for some sheep. They’re cute and all, but they’re still just animals. Which is why we should be struck by what Jesus says. A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep? Tell that to the wife whose children no longer have a father...Read More

Hear, See, Touch: Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter 2024

Posted on by Father Albert
3rd Sunday of Easter, B                                                                                   April 14, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/CJpKIwhq6Js It’s a funny thing, being a priest. All the time, I don’t have to say or do anything for people respond differently to me. Double-takes, subtle changes in posture, eagerness to talk to me or to avoid me, hearing the same jokes over and over. Without me even thinking about correcting them, people will apologize for cursing in front of me. Sometimes I do ask but even when I don’t, people will volunteer why they don’t come to Mass. One I hear...Read More