Tag: Sin

Do I Will It? Homily for the 6th Sunday OT, 2024

Posted on by Father Albert
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, B                                                                     February 11, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/lOVg2MYP1SY “I do will it. Be made clean.” Jesus means it. And this man is right, Jesus can do whatever he wills because he is God. So, why aren’t we clean? Because, even though God wills it, we don’t. I’m not talking about leprosy, of course. We have that cure already. We know that God does not always heal diseases. Here, though, scripture is using leprosy as a metaphor for sin. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus did heal this man of a real biological disease....Read More

From Beyond Time: Homily for the Immaculate Conception of Mary

Posted on by Father Albert
The Immaculate Conception of Mary                                                             December 8, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/Rgpy1AmDGjU Seeing how we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary, some Christians accuse us of over-emphasizing her. Yes, there are people who get carried away and distort Marian devotion, but the Catholic Church’s teaching that Mary was immaculately conceived – conceived without Original Sin – is solid and dependable. Critics say the Immaculate Conception isn’t in the bible. But it is. The angel calls her “full of grace,” which comes from a unique Greek word. We lose something in translation: this is...Read More

Not To Count: Homily for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Father Albert
26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                  October 1, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/P9Y2vj_vdXk It’s not a ledger. We talk like it is, but judgment isn’t a ledger with good on one side, bad on the other, and whichever has the most decides your fate. If you don’t know better, it seems reasonable that your final fate is determined simply by whether or not you did more good than bad or more bad than good. That kind of idea why the first reading is addressed to people who accuse God of being unfair in how...Read More

Betrayal Overcome: Homily for Easter

Posted on by Father Albert
Easter                                                                                                                          April 8, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette Part I of the Triduum Series here Part II of the Triduum Series here https://youtu.be/_EzkdgwV4d8 Betrayal is the second worst thing there is. This has been our theme for the Paschal Triduum that now comes to a close today, the holiest day of the year. Holy Thursday led us in preparing for the inevitability of betrayal by Jesus’ own example of washing the feet of Judas. It showed us that, despite the risk of betrayal, we must offer our trust, love, and vulnerability anyway. It also...Read More

That We Might See: Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Father Albert
4th Sunday Lent, A                                                                                          March 19, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/pgY0F1AJOE0 “Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.” This line is an important clue to what’s going on here. Do you know what it’s telling us? What reference it’s making that helps us understand?... Whenever the New Testament says or describes something we don’t understand, it’s a good idea to ask “what part of the Old Testament is this referring to?” This is a great tip – people are always coming up with crazy theories about the book of...Read More

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

Posted on by Father Albert
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?

Posted on by Father Albert
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 2nd Sunday of Advent: Poison and Fire

Posted on by Father Albert
2nd Sunday of Advent, A                                                                                December 4, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/a8ZR_5PdF2w “You brood of vipers!” So much for Christmas cheer. John the Baptist says this to the Pharisees and Sadducees, but it’s not like he’s caught them doing something terrible. These are the ones who came to him! They traveled out of the city all the way to the Jordan river to hear him preach. They came to be baptized! People often say pastors should just be grateful that people show up… that they shouldn’t get caught up...Read More

Homily for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time: The Most Dangerous Thing

Posted on by Father Albert
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   October 23, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/eO2TW99OllY “At least I’m not like…” If your thought, your sentence begins with those words, you’ve probably already messed up. As straightforward as this parable is, it’s one of the easiest for people to misapply. Millennia of Christian influence on culture has made it so that we too quickly identify ourselves with the tax collector. Just because we hear the word ‘pharisee’ so often, we assume we know what it means. And all too often we instinctively follow...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