Tag: love

Homily for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Choosing Love

Posted on by Father Albert
5th Sunday OT, C                                                                                           February 6, 2022Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/jqCNsAHC4yU “From now on you will be catching men.” This sums up the mission of the Church: to draw men and women to Jesus Christ. Evangelization is at the heart of the Church’s very identity. But what is evangelization? Is it about the number of people at Church on Sunday? Of course not. Peter is already in the boat with Jesus. He has heard him before and listens to his preaching. But Peter is not yet truly evangelized, not yet truly caught by Jesus....Read More

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Insulting Love

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4th Sunday OT, C                                                                                           January 30, 2022Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/IU2mslDu01M The Word of God is always fruitful… it is living and effective. But that doesn’t mean we’re always going to like the effect it has. Jesus’ own experience is proof of that. I hinted last week that Jesus’ preaching would bear fruit and now we see it. At first, it’s great. People are “amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” Jesus should be happy with that, right? He gives a good homily and even tells people that they are witnessing...Read More

Homily for the 2nd Week of Ordinary Time: Our Wedding Gifts

Posted on by Father Albert
2nd Sunday OT, C                                                                                          January 16, 2022Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/TvwkkMiOCMg This is our wedding feast. To belong to the Church is to be invited to the wedding of God with humanity. Scripture constantly speaks of Israel as God’s bride. It’s the reason that Jesus’ first miracle is done at a wedding feast – it pointing to this deeper reality that God wants to unite all of us to himself in perfect love – marriage is a sign of that truth. Jesus is the bridegroom and the Church – to which we belong –...Read More

Homily for the Baptism of the Lord: You Are My Beloved Son

Posted on by Father Albert
Baptism of the Lord, C                                                                                   January 9, 2022Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/ARKHEABt4dI This past Wednesday, Pope Francis stirred up some controversy when he talked about families who get pets instead of having children. People were upset that he called it “selfish.” Maybe there was a better way to say what he said, but he’s right. It’s a statistical reality that less and less couples are having kids and more and more are getting pets. All the time, you’ll see people call themselves a “dog dad” or a “cat mom.” Don’t get me wrong. I love...Read More

Homily for Mary, Mother of God: The Face of God

Posted on by Father Albert
Mary, Mother of God                                                                                     January 1, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/xwbShOVZNcg Do you think there was a resemblance? Between Mary and Jesus, I mean. Do you think it was obvious to anyone who looked that Jesus was Mary’s son? I do. After all, God did not just appear in her womb. The angel said she would conceive, that the child in her womb was taken from her flesh, her genetics. His father, God the Father, provided miraculously the rest of what is human and his divine nature as well. So the face of Jesus must...Read More

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family: Subordinate to Love

Posted on by Father Albert
Holy Family, C                                                                                               December 26, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/dRPewa-4n48 What does the word “family” conjure up in you? Warmth? Safety? Stress and anxiety? Worry and loneliness? Sorrow and mourning? Family can put us through the full gamut of human emotion and experience. Sometimes seems like more trouble than it’s worth, but family is important. Jesus comes first, but Jesus also tells us that family is important both through his teaching in the Old Testament, through his personal example, and through the teaching handed on to us by his apostle, St. Paul. Some of you...Read More

Homily for Christmas: The Beginning

Posted on by Father Albert
Christmas                                                                                                        December 25, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/o5yM9yzUvDY There’s just something about a good beginning, isn’t there? When you first crack open a great book… when the last preview ends and the movie’s title screen comes up… the first day of college… your wedding day… the birth of a child… There’s a sense of possibility, of openness, of hope for more to come. I think perhaps that’s one reason so many people love Christmas. New gifts to enjoy, new memories to make. Not only is it just a week away from New Years, it’s...Read More

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

Posted on by Father Albert
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 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time: Fighting to the End

Posted on by Father Albert
33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, B                                                                  November 14, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/EJS5nbER25o The end of the world. In one sense, we should fear it. In another, we should look forward to it. Fear it because it means destruction and suffering and death. Jesus himself calls it “tribulation” and Daniel the prophet is told “it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress.” Yet, we should look forward to it because it also means the end to our long battle… final victory. The angels will gather God’s “elect” and the “wise shall shine brightly.” That’s us… if...Read More

Homily for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time: The Offering That Counts

Posted on by Father Albert
32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, B                                                                 November 7, 2021Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/l4a-ELiF_rE “What can I possibly offer? I don’t have much money, influence, or talent, what difference will it make?” Have you ever asked yourself that question? Maybe when you read some bad news or perhaps when challenged to serve our community or God’s Church? I know I have. I think most people face some version of that doubt. Well, then I have good news. Jesus doesn’t care how successful your efforts are, he only cares that you give what you do have. “This poor...Read More