Tag: Light

A Silence That Conquers: Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter 2024

Posted on by Father Albert
5th Sunday of Easter, B                                                                                   April 28, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/yvVT2H8I6Y8 Darkness is the absence of light. Cold is the absence of heat. You can’t “get rid of” darkness and cold. You can only overcome them by adding light and heat. So also with evil. Evil is the absence of good. We don’t defeat evil just by fighting it really hard or running away from it. We defeat evil by running toward what is good and by allowing good to fill us such that it pushes evil away. But what about silence? Sure,...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

Homily for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Salty or Sterile

Posted on by Father Albert
5th Sunday OT, A                                                                                           February 5, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/ABe_E_BBg5U “You are the light of the world.” Think about a room full of candles. It’s pretty easy to read with ten candles lit, but not so easy with only one. And an unlit candle or a hidden lamp is almost worse than useless, casting shadows where it should be adding light. “If salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Do you know what happens...Read More

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time: What is the Gospel?

Posted on by Father Albert
3rd Sunday OT, A                                                                                            January 22, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/Ff0rBm0UKoI Jesus went around “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…” St. Paul tells us he was called preach the Gospel. Indeed, Jesus every one of us to proclaim the gospel. What does that mean? How do we do that? There’s two things consider: what the Gospel is and whether we let it actually enlighten our lives. First, what is the gospel? Where do we look to understand the gospel best? There’s this book I’ve just read from. There’s the four gospels of Matthew,...Read More

Clothed in Light: Homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent

Posted on by Father Albert
1st Sunday of Advent, A                                                                                 November 27, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/HNfv0y0DZtg When I was a college student at UL, one of things I enjoyed in an almost unconscious way was the big oak trees, especially along E. St. Mary and McKinley. They lend a sort of majesty to the campus. Just this past week, I was on campus and noticed that the trees had already had lights winding up their trunks. Illuminating the whole area, these lights called attention to the shape and size of the trees, drawing...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