Tag: Sacrifice

The Best Brick to Build With: Homily for 1st Communion 2023, 5th Sunday Easter, A

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5th Sunday of Easter, A                                                                                               May 7, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/mdw7Xsv0QD0 One hundred fifteen years this brick Church has endured through fire and storm and decay – a sign to us of the whole Church that will never fall. Yet, this building didn’t build itself, repair itself, or fill itself with love. When I began as pastor, someone told me one of my favorite stories of all time, a story about how this church was built. In 1907, the bricks for the new church were brought by train and dropped off right by...Read More

How They Love One Another: Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Easter

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2nd Sunday of Easter, A                                                                                             April 15, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/tz51ynvOa84 “See how they love one another.” That was the phrase most commonly used to explain why people were converting to Christianity in the ancient world. Not “see how clever they are” or “see how successful they are,” or “see how pretty their buildings are,” but “see how they love one another.” Our first reading gives us a glimpse of this. Starting with Advent, the Church has taken us through all of salvation history: creation, fall, promise of redemption, the old covenants, the...Read More

In the Midst of Betrayal: Homily for Good Friday

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Good Friday of the Lords' Passion                                                                             April 7, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Part I of the Triduum Series here https://youtu.be/KAxzo3WzR1c Part III of the Triduum Series here Betrayal is the second worst thing there is. Last night, we began this solemn journey through the holiest days of the year by exploring this theme. The Last Supper and the washing of the feet focused on preparing for betrayal. After Jesus’ own example, we are to accept that it is going to happen, to take the risk of trust, love, and vulnerability anyway, and to be...Read More

For Glory: Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent, A

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5th Sunday Lent, A March 26, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/AKSYbw8Q1jQ “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?” Yes. The answer to that question and others like it is yes. “Can’t God just stop people from suffering? Isn’t He all powerful? Couldn’t he heal all cancer, stop all violence, save all children?” Yes, he could do those things just as he could have simply prevented Lazarus from dying. Not only did Jesus not prevent Lazarus’ death, he didn’t even hurry....Read More

What We Don’t Want To Be True: Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Lent

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3rd Sunday Lent, A                                                                                March 12, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                     St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/g-i1keyBh1A The philosopher Peter Kreeft once summarized the 2 main ideas of atheism as: One, there is no God. Two, I hate him. A lack of faith is rarely purely intellectual. It is almost always connected to some kind of anger or resentment at who they thought God was supposed to be. It’s also pretty similar to what we see with this woman at the well. Jesus’ goal in this conversation is to give the water of life to this woman. But he first...Read More

Light in the Darkness: Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent

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2nd Sunday Lent, A                                                                                         March 5, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/tPmcRz_qgxs To shine with the radiance of God, we must endure the cross. This is why Jesus tells his apostles not to share this glorious vision until after he has risen from the dead. It is why St. Paul tells Timothy and us to “bear your share of hardship for the gospel,” because what makes the gospel “good news” is this awareness of suffering and the cross. History bears this out. God promises to make Abraham into a great nation. You know your...Read More

The Snakes In Our Pockets: Homily Thursday 1st Week of Lent – Catholic High

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Thursday Week 1 of Lent March 2, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert Catholic High, New Iberia https://youtu.be/RWP1SmvkRBs “Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish?” To put it bluntly, most of your parents would… they already have. When your parents gave you your own smartphone without any oversights… when they let you take unregulated internet devices into your room at night unsupervised… they have given you a snake instead of a fish. Maybe some of you have managed to avoid being bitten despite...Read More

Homily for the 1st Sunday of Lent: What We Eat

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1st Sunday Lent, A                                                                                          February 26, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/d16N75iYsrY Why does eating a piece of fruit condemn all of humanity to death and destruction? Why does it matter so much what we eat? Well, if someone is hanging from a cliff by a rope, ask them why it would matter if you cut that rope. The poetic language of the creation story talks about fruit and trees, but it’s really conveying to us our place in the universe. Adam and Eve had no say in how gravity works, how the chemical...Read More

Homily for Ash Wednesday: Why are you Here?

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Ash Wednesday                                                                                              February 22, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/NmYF9BYwq58 Why are you here? Why take the time? It’s not a Holy Day of Obligation. It’s the middle of the week, so it’s not exactly convenient for people working today and probably an interruption for those on vacation. Now, I am glad you’re here, but the question is still important because how you answer that question determines whether or not this time is wasted. Is it to just to get ashes smeared on your forehead? I hope you realize that these ashes aren’t magical....Read More

Homily for the 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Imperfect Steps Toward Perfection

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7th Sunday OT, A                                                                                            February 19, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/ELSRlOhK-0k I’m not what I could be… I’m not who I could be. Has any honest person not thought this to themselves? We imperfect human beings have an innate awareness that there’s something more to life that what we currently experience: some greater pleasure, some better situation. Imagining ourselves as better looking, smarter, stronger, more skilled, more well-connected… anything. There’s an innate desire for perfection. At the same time, who hasn’t also felt like that better situation is not actually possible? “I’m not...Read More