Tag: Forgiveness

A Trigger Warning: Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent 2024

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2nd Sunday of Lent, B                                                                                     February 25, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/vEuAWfzPkKY Image by CC 2.0 from https://www.flickr.com/photos/gcfairch/4189169360 A story. A true one, as far as I know. At a church elsewhere in Louisiana, there was a young pastor who once opened the door to find a gun pointed straight at him. Holding that gun was a nervous looking man who rather shakily said, “Father, I’m sorry but God told me I have to kill you.” Inspired, he quipped, “oh, God just told me to tell you that you don’t have to kill me anymore.” The...Read More

Fear of Fruitlessness: Homily for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                  October 8, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/hzKx4gYwYDc Why didn’t they just give him some of the grapes? No one likes it when it’s time to pay the rent. But how much sense does it make that their first response is to beat, kill, and stone the messengers? No request for leniency, no negotiation. It’s not like the landowner is unreasonable or impatient. He tried again, even after they murdered his servants. He sent his own Son. Clearly, if these tenants had even tried to work out a deal...Read More

What Is There to Lose? Homily for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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24th Sunday of Ordinary Time, A                                                                   September 17, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/KZvkzZgueNM There’s no clever twist here. Jesus’ point is pretty straightforward: forgive other people or you will not be forgiven. And if we aren’t forgiven, we go to Hell. Jesus uses the number seventy-seven as a symbolic number that means “as many times as it takes.” Forgiving people is hard and it’s harder the more they hurt you. But Jesus doesn’t offer exceptions. Forgive or you will not be forgiven. To understand why, we have to get our first principles right, the...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

Betrayal Overcome: Homily for Easter

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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

Prepared for Betrayal: Homily for Holy Thursday

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Mass of the Lord’s Supper                                                                             April 6, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/Xih6hbuEXLw Part II here Part III here Betrayal is the second worst thing there is. What makes it so awful is that it takes what is good – trust, love, vulnerability – and hurts the one who offers them. I have rarely experienced in myself or others anger and pain greater than what comes from being or just thinking you’ve been betrayed. Betrayal is close to the very definition of evil. Yet, it is precisely in betrayal that our all-powerful, loving God most...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

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

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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 Corpus Christi: Assisting Communion

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Corpus Christi, C                                                                                                        June 19, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/jPNItdt2kdY Ado You may have heard that the US Bishops are launching a kind of Eucharistic Revival in our country over the next few years. To start that off, Bishop Deshotel has asked us to read this letter from him to you: “Dear Friends in Christ, The Church celebrates this weekend the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord. The celebration invites us to reflect on that most precious gift given to us by Our Savior...Read More