Tag: Jesus

Homily for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Faith That Saves

Posted on by Father Albert
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   October 9, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/asAMCTLUiWI “Your faith has saved you.” Has it? Has your faith saved you? Maybe that’s a strange question for Catholics to hear, reminiscent of the protestant who inquires “have you been saved?” And yet, it is a worthy question. The fact that Jesus says it to some and not to others leaves us wondering what is the fate of those who have not been told this. Just last week we considered what faith is and isn’t, acknowledging that...Read More

Homily for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time: What Faith Isn’t

Posted on by Father Albert
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   October 2, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/LlcdLUKsOB4 It’s not just willpower, you know. Faith is not stirring up some kind interior resolve to summon mystical powers and do the impossible. When Jesus gives this example of the mustard seed moving the mulberry tree, he doesn’t mean that if you dig down enough and just believe in yourself, you can levitate giant trees into the ocean. You see, faith is not just willpower or self-confidence. Faith is a virtue. Now, I say that – “faith...Read More

Homily for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, C: Worries of Wealth

Posted on by Father Albert
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 25, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/j3869UiivJk There’s not much room for soft balling here: Jesus talks about caring for the poor so much and there’s only so many ways to rephrase it. So, I’ll keep it pretty straightforward. Care for the poor or you will go to hell. The rich man didn’t kill anyone. It doesn’t say that he lied or stole or cheated or commit adultery or skip church. It simply says he was rich and comfortable while Lazarus was poor. Then...Read More

Homily for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Whom You Serve

Posted on by Father Albert
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 18, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/skWhxMdJTgY What just happened? If you were a little confused by that parable, you’re not alone. Most scripture scholars agree that this is the most confusing parable Jesus tells. Of course, that’s part of what parables are for: to confuse us a little and make us think. Still, what happened? The basic story of the parable is this: a man stole from his boss and when he got caught, he stole from him again, but did it in...Read More

Homily for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Valued by God

Posted on by Father Albert
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 11, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/2QF6BRcdTa4 I wouldn’t. Throw a party, I mean. If I were a shepherd and one sheep wandered off, I wouldn’t risk the 99 to go get it. It’s not like those 99 are safe; it says he leaves them in the desert. Who would leave their entire livelihood to rescue one lost sheep? That’s almost as bad as a gambling addiction that causes people to think “I lost some, but if I risk everything else, I can probably...Read More

Homily for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time: Discipleship

Posted on by Father Albert
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 4, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/IEXvOIRenOA To choose to be where you are for the sake of love. That’s the takeaway from last week. Instead of trying to make the most money or find the most convenience, we ought to look for those places and opportunities to put ourselves in humble service to others. God himself did this, going so far as to serve us not only by preaching and teaching, by healing the sick and washing the feet of his disciples, but...Read More

Pastor Column: Mediator Dei I

Posted on by Father Albert
[N.B. This is not the Sunday homily. It is an article for the bulletin of Aug 28, 2022]      “The Mediator between God and Men.”  That is the opening line of the next document in our series and where we get the title Mediator Dei (Mediator of God). Written in 1947 by Pope Pius XII, this document addresses the Sacred Liturgy. The “Sacred Liturgy” refers not only to Mass, but to all of the public, formal acts of worship performed by the Church. This includes the other 6 sacraments as well as the many blessings and rituals that populate our...Read More

Homily for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time: The Right Choice

Posted on by Father Albert
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   August 28, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/K_r_46LwqUI Strive for grace. That’s what I left you with last week, a challenge to not worry about things beyond you and to persevere in getting grace from God because only grace gets us to heaven. But what does it mean to strive after grace? And what will that grace mean for the people who are in our lives, the people we hope to bring to heaven with us? Although complex in what it says, the point of...Read More

Homily for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time: Strive

Posted on by Father Albert
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   August 21, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/bvUNadKwPHM What are you really after? When you ask a question like “will only a few people be saved,” what is the real question? The deeper motivation? I think it could be several things; most of them aren’t good. Most of them come back to pride. We might want to know how many people will be saved out of a simple desire to have the answer. The one who asks Jesus this question is probably thinking about a...Read More

Homily for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Water and Fire

Posted on by Father Albert
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                  August 14, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/fS5JI_Jm798 Water and fire. Hearing this Gospel, it might be tempting to focus on Jesus’ promise to divide families, but we’ll miss the point of this if we miss what he’s saying about fire and water. These two have certain things in common: both can be used to cleanse and purify and both can be used to kill and destroy. Often, it is by destroying that they purify. Dirt and grime dissolve in water – are kind of...Read More