HOMILY WEEK 26 05 – Year I
Listen and Repent:
Optional Memorial of Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher
(Bar 1:15-22; Ps 79; Lk 10:13-16)
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“Made a searching and fearless moral inventory” and “Admitted to God, ourselves and another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs”
These two sentences are Step 4 and Step 5 of the 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, and together with the readings today, they provide us with a message to both listen to God’s word and repent of our wrong-doing.
Within the Church, those two steps of A.A. connect directly with two stages of the sacrament of reconciliation: examination of conscience, and confession. The readings today focus on both.
The prophet Baruch, in the first reading, is a powerful example of a communal examination of conscience, and an admission of guilt. He laments that his fellow Israelites, even after they celebrated the Torah upon their return from exile, still failed miserably to keep it: they disobeyed it, did not listen to it, were stubborn and willful, gave themselves over to false gods in idolatry, and even did evil deeds. His was certainly a searching and fearless moral inventory, as well as an honest and humble confession.
The psalmist continues along the same line of repentance – “Do not remember against us the iniquity of our ancestors” and adds a prayer for deliverance.
Jesus in the gospel uses even stronger language in addressing his disciples, chastising the Israelites for their lack of repentance and telling them that they are worse off than the pagan nations surrounding them. He then honors those who believe in him and have repented with the statement that those who listen to them, listen to him and to the Father.
So, in a nutshell, to follow Jesus is to listen and take to heart his word, to search our hearts in response for how we have failed to truly listen and live that word, to repent and to turn to him for forgiveness and deliverance.
Those who pray using both centering prayer and contemplation are encouraged to use a mantra derived from the words of scripture. My mantra for these readings once became, “Lord Jesus, listen, repent.” As I prayed, I realized these four words expressed quite well the message from the readings today.
Today we honour Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, who certainly was one who listened attentively to the words of Jesus, took them to heart, repented of any sins she may have committed, and lived out the word throughout a long life of ministry as a religious woman. She holds a special place in my heart because of her connection with the Oblates or Mary Immaculate, to which I belong, and also because members of her community served in our archdiocese of Keewatin-The Pas. The following biography is taken from the Living With Christ pamphlet
Born Eulalie Mélanie Durocher, Marie-Rose Durocher founded the congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Born in 1811 in St-Antoine, Quebec, Eulalie went to school in Montreal. Soon after her mother’s death in 1829, Eulalie moved to Beloeil, where her bother, the pastor, put her in charge of his household, where she worked for 13 years.
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate had just arrived from France, sent by their founder, St. Eugene de Mazenod. With their assistance, Eulalie established the first Canadian sodality for young women. She became the first Canadian postulant of the Sisters of the Holy Names, of Marseilles.
When the Oblates failed to recruit religious teachers form Marseilles, Bishop Bourget of Montreal invited Eulalie to found new congregation dedicated to religious education and in 1843 a small community of novices settled in Longeuil.
In 1844, they were professed by the bishop, taking the name, habit and constitutions from the Marseilles community, with Marie-Rose as superior. Presumably this is when Eulalie took the name of Marie-Rose.
Although she died just six years later, at the age of 36, the community had already begun to grow despite poverty and hardship, and several schools had been established. Today the outreach of the congregation is worldwide. Marie-Rose Durocher was beatified in 1982.
The Eucharist is a celebration that includes repentance through the penitential rite, listening to the Word of God, and both forgiveness and healing. It also missions us to go out to the whole world and live out the word of God through humble, selfless service, as did Blessed Marie-Rose.
