Tag: Poverty

A Body Made Real: Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Easter, 2024

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2nd Sunday of Easter, B                                                                                  April 7, 2024Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/w5q5Gk1QIFI Does it sound like a cult to you? When you hear that first reading describing the early Christian church, perhaps everyone being “of one heart and mind” sounds a bit like not letting people think for themselves. Perhaps having “everything in common” and no one claiming “any of his possessions [as] his own” sounds a bit like a hippy commune. Perhaps letting the Apostles distribute wealth “to each according to need” sounds a bit like giving the leaders too much power and...Read More

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

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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 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Blessedness and Joy

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4th Sunday OT, A                                                                                            January 29, 2023Fr. Alexander Albert                                                              St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/05AboWUvaQk They are true, you know. These beatitudes, these promises of blessedness are not rhetorical… Jesus isn’t just trying to make a point. What he says is true. There is real blessedness, real joy to be found in each one of these examples. And no, it’s not just a future happiness that he’s talking about. The reasons he gives are in the future tense – will inherit, will be comforted – but the description of blessedness is right now – blessed are they....Read More

Homily for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, C: Worries of Wealth

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26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                   September 25, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/j3869UiivJk There’s not much room for soft balling here: Jesus talks about caring for the poor so much and there’s only so many ways to rephrase it. So, I’ll keep it pretty straightforward. Care for the poor or you will go to hell. The rich man didn’t kill anyone. It doesn’t say that he lied or stole or cheated or commit adultery or skip church. It simply says he was rich and comfortable while Lazarus was poor. Then...Read More

Homily for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Cosmic Visions of Mercy

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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                              July 10, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/Rt7vUUEHnFo What is your cosmic vision? When you mentally zoom out to consider everything that exists, how do you make sense of it? Because the way you answer that question can tell you a lot about what you really believe and what motivates you. And the reason I ask you that is because so much of what I challenge you to do, what the Church urges you to do, what Jesus Christ asks of you is going...Read More

Homily for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time: The Peace of Disciples

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14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C                                                                              July 3, 2022Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/ndBvUYXN4ug If, as I claimed last week, freedom is found in commitment and true freedom found in the right kind of commitments, then how do we find that right commitment? What should expect to see in the freeing sacrifice of freedom that marks the Christian way of life? The same kind of things we see in these seventy-two disciples. The first thing is that they travel in pairs, rather than alone. Why? Wouldn’t it be more efficient...Read More

Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent: Woken to Glory

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Lent Sun 2, C                                                                                                  March 13, 2022Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/TY0G80EN9fQ “Stay woke.” Perhaps you’ve heard some variation of this phrase. Maybe it’s a positive thing to you or maybe you think of it as a kind of insult. Like so many catchphrases, the meaning has shifted over time and it means different things to different people. It was originally meant to encourage people to stay alert to what is really going on behind the scenes… to see past what “the man” tells you. Or it’s being sensitive to injustices that permeate our...Read More

Homily for Christmas: What Should I Get Him?

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Christmas                                                                                                        December 25, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/gns-hSBBzXE What should I get them? Especially after a year like 2020, we’ve all asked this question countless times these past few months. What kind of gift is the best thing to give to my loved ones? How best to convey the love and hope they most need to receive? What makes for a good gift? Expensive? Thoughtful? Practical? Helpful? Like most children, as a kid I often thought the most expensive gifts were the best. The Playstation 2… the new computer – knowing...Read More

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent: The Secret of Joy

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4th Sunday of Advent, B                                                                                December 20, 2020Fr. Albert                                                                                St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette https://youtu.be/DHSpmke_dnI Do you know the secret? This advent, I’ve warned you about the end of the world. I’ve told you to follow the Holy Spirit. I’ve called you to rejoice and promised you joy as a result. But are aware of the secret to this world-ending, spirit-filled, unbeatable joy? The secret is poverty. That might surprise you. You’ve surely heard the maxim “money can’t buy happiness,” but this goes a bit further than that. Scripture is actually pretty clear about it...Read More