IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH
A church is much more than stones and mortar. It has a PARISH HISTORY. It has a regular
SCHEDULE as well as SPECIAL EVENTS and there are CONTACT PERSONS A parish is its people
who have certain needs. The people need to hear the GOSPEL MESSAGE In order to help us
reflect on our lives we provide an EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE This examination of
conscience is based on the dialogue between the confessor Jesus and the penitent woman at
the well.
HISTORY
Immaculate Conception Church in Charenton, Louisiana is the sixth oldest church in the
Diocese of Lafayette. The Church was established in 1844. One of the earliest missionaries to
Charenton was Father Stephen Theodore Badin. Father Badin was the first priest to be
ordained in the United States. Badin was in the seminary at the time of the French Revolution.
Religious and priests were persecuted at the time of the French Revolution. So, if he were to
remain in the seminary, his life was in danger.
Badin fled to the United States and was ordained in Baltimore, Maryland in 1799. Soon after
ordination he was sent to the frontiers of Kentucky. He began to evangelize the area. He
bought land in a multi state area for development as future parishes and schools. He sold the
Holy Cross Fathers the land for the school, which was to, became the University of Notre Dame.
Father Badin was especially interested in the evangelization of Native Americans. That is
probably one reason he came to Charenton. Badin performed three of the first baptisms
recorded in our parish.
The parish originally included all of the area from New Iberia to Morgan City. Seven parishes
were formed from Immaculate Conception Church. Another seven churches were formed from
these original seven. Fifteen different parishes now serve the area originally served by
Immaculate Conception Church.
The first church to be formed from Charenton was what is now Assumption Church in Franklin
Louisiana. It was originally a small chapel known as "The Upper Room". It was served out of
Charenton. A formal parish was established in 1853. This is a picture of the original church.
Several churches were founded from this eldest child of Immaculate Conception Church in
Charenton
In the 1890's Church of the Assumption founded a mission in Centerville, Louisiana. It was
almost 60 years before St. Joseph Church in Centerville was formally established as a parish.
n the 1930's the pastor of Assumption began going to Verdunville were he said Mass under the
trees. After several years Immaculate Conception Church in Verdunville was founded in 1938. It
served the Creole community of the area.
Five years later (1943) St. Jules Church was founded in Franklin. It was initially a mission of Holy
Rosary Church in Jeanerette. Eventually it became a parish and Immaculate Conception in
Verdunville became a mission of St. Jules. Originally the people living in Immaculate
Conception (Verdunville), St. Jules, and Holy Rosary were served by Immaculate Conception in
Charenton. In all Church of the Assumption mothered three grand daughter parishes for
Immaculate Conception in Charenton.
In 1879 St. John the Evangelist Church in Jeanerette was established as a parish. It was served
by priests from Charenton. Later priests from Charenton and Patoutville served the mission
until a resident pastor was appointed.
In 1944 Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Jeanerette was established to serve the Black
community in Jeanerette. It could be considered a grand daughter of Charenton since it was
establsihed out of St. John Church in Jeanerette, a daughter parish of Charenton. Jeanerette
has provided us with a daughter churh and a grand daughter church.
In 1892 St. Joseph in Patterson was founded. Like St. John the Evangelist Patterson was
originally a mission of Charenton. As the populations of Franklin and Jeanerette grew and that
of Charenton seemed to diminish some of our early missions came to be taken care of by our
daughter churches.
St. Stephen Church in Berwick has a different history. It was first established in 1898 as a
mission of Morgan City. Then there was no Diocese of Lafayette. The entire area was under the
Archdiocese of New Orleans.
When the Diocese of Lafayette was established in 1918 the Atchafalaya River was set as the
eastern boundary of the new diocese. Then the mission at Berwick became a mission of
Patterson. The Church in Patterson was served first by Charenton, then by Franklin. So
Patterson was a daughter church of Charenton, making St. Stephen another grand daughter.
By 1963 St. Stephen Church had grown so much that it became necessary to establish a mission
church, St. Bernadette, in Bayou Vista. This became the first great grandchild of Immaculate
Conception Church. These images of children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren are only
used to illustrate the point that originally the entire area was served by Charenton.
I
n 1906 Father Bollard, pastor of Charenton built a chapel in Baldwin. For a time Baldwin was a
mission of Charenton. Then in 1936 the roles were reversed and Charenton became a mission
of Baldwin. Within a few years Charenton became a full parish once again.
In the 1930's St. Peter The Apostle Chapel in Four Corners was built as a mission church of
Sacred Heart in Baldwin. It was established to serve the Black community. In 1960 it became a
full parish. It could be considered a grand daughter of Charenton since it was established by
Baldwin, a daughter church of Charenton. St. Peter's is once again a mission of Baldwin.
Four churches were established out of Immaculate Conception Church: Assumption (Franklin),
St. John the Evangelist (Jeanerette), St. Joseph (Patterson), and Sacred Heart (Baldwin). Seven
other churches were founded out of these four: St. Joseph (Centerville), Immaculate
Conception (Verdunville), St. Jules (Franklin), Our Lady of the Rosary (Jeanerette), St. Stephen
(Berwick), St. Bernadette (Bayou Vista), St. Stephen the Apostle (Four Corners).
Three other parishes were formed out of areas within our parish boundaries. These new
churches also were taken from areas involving churches older than Immaculate Conception.
Technically these larger churches were the mother churches. However, Immaculate Conception
Church did play a role in the birth of these other three churches.
In 1868 a church was established in Patoutville. Although it was formally a mission of New Iberia,
many of the parishoners lived in an area served by Immaculate Conception in Charenton.
Several persons baptized in Immaculate Conception Church ended up in Patoutville.
In the 1960's the church was moved to Lydia.
In 1873 St. Joseph Church in Loreauville was founded. It was originally served by St. Martin of
Tours Church in St. Martinville, the mother church for the entire diocese of Lafayette.While St.
Martin of Tours was technically the mother church of Loreauville, parishoners also came from
the churches of New Iberia and Charenton.
Eighty years later in 1953 Our Lady of Victory Parish was established to serve the Black
parishoners in the Loreauville area.
In 1892 St. Helena Church at Louisa was established. I could find no record of it being a mission
of another church. It apparently was established and paid for by a grant from the Jules M.
Burguieres family. That would account for its direct establishment as a parish. A mission usually
was established under another church until it is economically self sufficient.
Jules was married to Marie Corine Patout. Most of their church records are in St. Nicholas
Church in Lydia. Their civil records are in the St. Mary Courthouse. So apparently they lived in
St. Mary Civil Parish. Both Burguieres and Patout appear in our church records. The parish is
located in large part in an area originally served by Immaculate Conception Church in
Charenton.
Today St. Helena is one of the smallest parishes in the diocese. It is largely populated by
persons of Vietnamese origin.
Today, despite the numerous churches formed from it, our parish is quite small and has only a
little over one hundred families who are active in the church. Many of these are senior citizens.
We do provide all the usual services to these families. We also have weekly Bible study, RCIA, a
monthly morning of reflection, First Friday adoration (noon until 5PM).
We have opened a museum which provides people with basic information on our history, the
diverse cultures that make up our parish. There is also a crash course in church history which
outlines the story of all 262 popes plus other persons and events which were important in
church history. For more about the museum visit its website by pressing MUSEUM
zz
Because our membership is both dwindling and aging we need to think of future structures for
our parish. We are attempting to reach out to several other small parishes like ours. We would
hope eventually to merge with these churches into a single parish entity. Each parish would
maintain its own character and identity. However, they would be served by the same priest(s).
The number of priests would depend on the number of churches combined. This combined
effort would allow the individual small churches to offer services to all the churches that could
not be offered simply with the resources of a single church.
We have begun a multi parish program to create a program to train indiviuals so they might help
families deal with the loss of loved ones. We hope also to develop a program that will enable
families to assume primary responsibility for their own religious education. Both programs are
in their developmental stages. We do not know exactly where either one will go.
In dealing with grief we hope to provide the usual counselling and support groups. In addition
we hope to create some structures which will help person express their grief in a creative way.
We have created a special website for those attempting to deal with grief. To view this site
press GRIEF
For three summers we hosted a special summer program of religious education for young
children. As part of that program we worked with the youngsters in dealing with their grief.
Most of the children have lost parents or grandparents. Several are the victims of divorce. We
have already opened a Kid's museum where they remember loved one who have died.
A second part of our program is developing religious education material based on the
questions and answers of the children. We began this program in the summer of 1999. Based
on the input of the children that summer we were able to put together a twelve page manual for
parents to assist in the religious education of their children. In summer 2000 we put together a
cathechism based on the children's questions and their answers.
We have an image of the Risen Christ to our sanctuary. The heart of our faith is the
Resurrection of the Lord.
SPECIAL EVENTS
JUNE 27-28 ANOINTING OF SICK AT ALL THE MASSES
JULY 3 NOON - 5pm FIRST FRIDAY ADORATION
AUGUST 7 NOON - 5pm FIRST FRIDAY ADORATION
AUGUST 8-9 PEACE MASS AT ALL MASSES
AUGUST 14 5 PM ANTICIPATED MASS FEAST OF ASSUMPTION
SEPTEMBER 4 NOON - 5pm FIRST FRIDAY ADORATION
SCHEDULE
SUNDAY MASS
Saturday 4:00 PM (anticipated mass)
Sunday 9:30 AM 5:00 PM
WEEKDAY MASS
Monday Wednesday Friday 5:00 PM
Tuesday Thursday 7:00 AM
CONFESSIONS
Saturday 3:30 PM
at other times, contact Father Bill
BAPTISMS and WEDDINGS
ADORATION
First Fridays from noon until 5:00 PM
CONTACT PERSONS
Mass intentions Mary Vilcan 923-4649
Adult religious education
(general) Father Bill 923-4281
Baptism Father Bill 923-4281
Church maintenance Whitney Vilcan 923-4649
Cemetery plots Whitney Vilcan 923-4649
HISTORY
You can see a short synopsis of the papal history at our museum site
GOSPEL MESSAGE Story of Job
COMMENTATOR: Today’s first reading is from the Book of Job. It is a marvelous example of who
we are, how we think, how we manage to leave God out of our thinking. This homily will be a
little different. I have asked persons to read the thoughts of God, of Satan, and of Job. This is
the only place in Bible where God and Satan dialogue with each other. As the story opens we
are told that Job feared God and avoided evil. He had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He had
thousands and thousands of animals of all varieties. God brags about Satan
GOD Have you noticed my servant Job. He is really a good man.
COMMENTATOR But Satan is not impressed The following dialogue occurs between God and
Satan.
SATAN Yes! But you have surrounded him with all sorts of good things. Who wouldn’t be good
with all the good things you have given him? What will happen when he loses these things?
GOD You may take away everything but do not harm Job.
COMMENTATOR So Job loses his land, his sons, his daughters everything he owns and Job
replies
JOB I was naked and had nothing when I was born. I will die that way. The Lord gives, the Lord
takes away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.
So the dialogue between God and Satan continues
GOD Didn’t I tell you Job was a just man?
SATAN Yes! But nothing happened to Job. Let something happen to him and we’ll see how just
he is.
GOD You may do anything to him but do not kill him.
COMMENTATOR Job was filled with boils. His friends abandoned him. Job’s words were
revealing even suggesting thoughts of suicide
JOB Life is a drudgery. I shall never see happiness again. I prefer death to my pain. I have
sinned. Even God’s mercy is in vain.
COMMENTATOR Do you know anyone like Job? He moves from despair to profound guilt. He
begins to believe God cannot even possibly forgive him. In Job’s own words we hear
JOB No one can possibly be justified before God. God does not relent. He destroys the
innocent with the wicked. It is a pleasure for God to oppress me.
COMMENTATOR Job has moved from his own profound guilt to a belief that God is an avenging
God who takes delight in destroying people. Do you know anyone like that? Then Job begins to
feel guilt because he has blasphemed God. He momentarily comes to his senses. He realizes he
has nowhere to go but God. He begins to bargain with God.
JOB If you take away my misery I will follow you. Why do you hide your face from me?
COMMENTATOR Job cannot bear his own guilt. He begins to regard God as the problem. Then
Job realizes he knows nothing about God. His ignorance of God will destroy him. Job replies
JOB Corruption is my father, my mother and my sister. They will lead me to destruction.
COMMENTATOR Job realizes he is heading for disaster, for total destruction, annihilation. He
replies
JOB God has not been fair to me. Everyone has abandoned me.
COMMENTATOR Job again experiences guilt . He expects God will strike him down but takes
consolation in the fact that others are worse than he is. Do you know anyone like that? Job
replies
JOB Many of the wicked survive. Not only do they survive, they seem to prosper. They take
their sins to the grave. Then what?
COMMENTATOR Job begins to realize he must come to terms with God but he cannot find God
JOB I go to the east, God is not there. I go to the west, God is not there. In the north I do not
find him. In the south I see nothing but a veil. God seems to protect others. Why not me?
COMMENTATOR Job again despairs and sees no good anywhere. Nothing can be good in God’s
sight. Again, it is all God’s fault. Job summarizes his position.
JOB I wish I could go back to the days when God took care of me. I have done no wrong, yet I
am in misery. I feel my life drifting away from me. If only there was someone to plead my cause.
COMMENTATOR Job seemed to end his thoughts in despair until another voice that of Elihu
spoke up and told Job that all of his thoughts had been about Job. None of them about God. If
Job is to find a solution he must think about God not about Job. As Job began to think about
God, God spoke to him
GOD Where were you when I founded the earth? Who determined its size? Who shut the sea
within doors when it wanted to burst out? Who made the clouds? Have you ever commanded
the morning? Have you entered into the sources of the sea? Have the gates of death been
shown to you? Can you produce the thunder? Do you create the rain? By contrast I have
created all. If I have created it, will I then destroy it?
COMMENTATOR Job was humbled and replied to God
JOB I know you can do all things. None of your purposes will be hindered. I have tried to deal
with things I do not understand. I had only heard about you but now I have really experienced
you. Therefore I disown all I have said and repent in dust and ashes.
COMMENTATOR The story of Job represents all of us. Job went through all the human
emotions. He saw ultimate despair and wanted to die. He experience profound guilt. He
imagined a God who could not possibly forgive him. He tried to blame everything on God. He
attempted to bargain with God. He realized that he knew nothing about God. All of his thoughts
had centered on his own life and his own actions. He could not imagine a God who did not think
they way he did. It was only when he began to think about God not about Job that he was
converted. It is the story of us as well as him
THOUGHTS FOR THE FOURTEENTH FIFTEENTH & SIXTEENTH SUNDAYS IN ORDINARY TIME
The scripture readings for the liturgies of the fourteenth, fifteen, and sixteenth Sundays in
Ordinary Time are very interesting. The Gospels describe a situation in which Jesus heals many
people and helps them change their lives. When he returns to his own home town the
residents cannot see beyond the local carpenter who lives among them. Jesus is so
overwhelmed by their lack of faith that he can work no miracles there. When he leaves that
town Jesus sends out his 12 chosen followers to call people to repent, to cast out demons, and
to anoint people with oil. These 12 are not religious leaders. Several of them are fishermen.
They are sent out to do ordinary tasks but these ordinary tasks are what brings salvation to
people.
EZEKIEL
The Old Testament prophets in these Sunday readings are very interesting. First is EZEKIEL. He
lives at the time of the Babylonian Exile. Ezekiel is a priest. He is one of the first to be exiled. He
was exiled in 597 B.C. ten years before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Ezekiel
spent the first 10 years of his prophetic ministry predicting the destruction of the Temple. This
was not very popular among the Israelites already in exile.
Actually Ezekiel had spent time and energy trying to avoid being the prophet. He was given the
vision of what would happen but did not want to risk the consequences of speaking that
prophecy. The first three chapters of Ezekiel describe Ezekiel's call. Ezekiel was frightened by
his vision. He fell on his face. The Lord called him and told him to stand up he wanted to talk to
Ezekiel. The he showed Ezekiel a written scroll. On both sides of the scroll were three words:
LAMENTATION WAILING WOE
Ezekiel was then told he had to eat the scroll. In other words he had to accept his condition and
the condition of his people. Then the Lord told him to prophesy to the Israelite people and that
his work would not be easy. They were a rebellious people. There were consequences if he
failed to prophesy. The Lord told Ezekiel if he prophesied to the people and they did not repent
Ezekiel would not be held responsible. However, if he failed to prophesy and they did not
repent Ezekiel would be held responsible.
Throughout his prophecy Ezekiel used several images, visions, and parables. I would like to
highlight four of the parables. Parable of the SHEPHERDS. In this parable Ezekiel speaks out
strongly against the religious leaders of Israel: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been
pasturing themselves. ... They have fed off their milk, worn their wool and slaughtered their
fatlings but the sheep they have not pastured, You do not strengthen the weak, nor heal the
sick, nor bind up the injured. You do not bring back the strayed nor seek the lost, but you
lorded it over them harshly and brutally. "
Ezekiel declares that the Lord will do several things: come against the shepherds, claim back
his sheep, save his sheep. "I myself will look after and tend my sheep." The Lord will seek out
the lost, bring back the strayed, bind up the injured, and heal the sick.
There is also the vision of the DRY BONES. Ezekiel is led into the plain which was filled with
bones. The Lord asked if Ezekiel could see the bones come to life. Ezekiel's response was
"Lord God, you alone know that." The Lord reveals that he will put Spirit into these bones and
they will come to life. He tells Ezekiel to say: "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord." After he
spoke these words Ezekiel hears a loud rattling sound as the bones join to one another and
come to life. The Lord promises that he will open our graves and we will rise from them. This is
a symbol of the restoration of the temple. Like other prophets the priests and the people did
not hear the message of restoration and salvation but only the message of destruction.
The last six chapters of Ezekiel tell about the RESTORATION OF THE TEMPLE. After the temple
is destroyed Ezekiel describes the water which flows from the temple. There is a stream which
is barely a trickle. The Lord measured off 1000 cubits (a cubit is about one and a half feet). He
had Ezekiel walk that 1000 cubits. There the water was ankle deep. He measured off another
1000 cubits. There the water was knee deep. He measured off another 1000 cubits where the
water was waist deep. Then another 1000 cubits. There the water was high it could not be
crossed except by swimming. The water symbolizes a return to primitive condition of the
garden of paradise.
AMOS
The second Sunday we read from the Prophet Amos. Unlike Ezekiel. Amos was not a priest or a
religious leader. He was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. He was a man close to nature.
He had to be able to read the natural signs so he knew where to lead his sheep that they would
find food. He had to know when the trees needed pruning. All we know of his life is what Amos
tells us in his prophecy, and that is very little.
Amos begins his prophecy with a severe indictment of Damascus, Philistia, Tyre, and Edom. The
religious leaders can tolerate those indictments, probably even use them to their advantage.
These were nations Israel had recently conquered. If they are repugnant to the Lord that would
justify Israel conquering them. But when Amos begins his indictment of Israel that is too much
for the religious leaders to take. It is then that Amos is expelled from the Shrine of Bethel.
Even in his most severe criticism of Israel, like a true prophet, Amos holds out hope for Israel.
As Amos predicts that the enemies of Israel will overpower her we find this quote:
"Thus says the Lord: As the shepherd snatches from the mouth of the lion a pair of legs
or the tip of an ear of his sheep, so the Israelites who dwell in Samaria shall escape with
the corner of a couch, or a piece of a cot."
All God needs to save Israel is the tip of an ear. If the whole sheep is swallowed God can use
the tip of an ear that is not yet swallowed to save his sheep. As Amos' prophesy develops we
see less and less hope of Israel responding to the call of God. In Amos' second prophecy there
is no image of the tip of an ear. He says simply God will deal with Israel IN HIS OWN WAY. The
third prophecy contains a series of woes: woe to those who trample on the weak God will exile
you. Woe to the complacent.
Amos then presents a series of visions the Lord has given him. The first is LOCUSTS which
devour the food supply. On seeing this vision Amos pleads with God and God relents. The
second vision is a PLUMMET which God is about to drop on Israel. The plummet measures how
accurately a line measures out. It is an image of judgment. God will judge Israel's honesty.
This image is the one that causes the priest Amaziah to expel Amos from the shrine at Bethel.
He sends word to King Jeroboam that he has exiled Amos, However, Amos continues to
prophesy. His third image is a FRUIT BASKET. The fruit is ripe. Israel is ripe to be exiled. The
final vision is the ALTAR. The altar and the temple will be destroyed. Again, like a true prophet
Amos hold out hope. God will RESTORE his people. Few, if any, wanted to hear Amos. Just as no
one heard his message of the tip of an ear no one seemed to hear that Amos was also
predicting that the temple would be restored.
Amos lived in difficult times for a prophet. Israel's kingdom was at one of its largest expanses.
She had recently conquered the nations which Amos condemns in his preliminary prophecy.
Who wanted to hear about exile and defeat at times of such great prosperity? Jeroboam had
made Israel into a rather large empire. It was certainly not times you would think about or
expect to hear talk of exile.
We don't know much about the place where Amos prophesied and from which he was ultimately
driven out, the shrine of Bethel. It was a royal sanctuary, that is, one set up and controlled by
the king. That is why thee priest Amaziah had to tell the king about his decision to exile Amos.
Much of what happened at Bethel was based on superstition rather than any sense of religious
direction. About 100 years after Amos the shrine at Bethel was shut down by King Josiah in his
religious reforms.
Why was Amos not acceptable?
He was just an ordinary man. What gave him authority to preach and to prophesy?
Who wanted to think about exile when times were so prosperous, the Kingdom of Israel so big?
No one listened to the hope Amos held out. They only heard his message of destruction.
His images were too realistic locusts, plummet, ripe fruit, destruction of the temple.
It was easier to follow the superstitions coming out of Bethel than the images of Amos.
Although the people did not heed his message and the priest exiled him, Amos did have some
followers. It was those followers who preserved his message even when he was exiled. What
can we learn from Amos?
Ordinary people hold the key to the work of God.
Despite all the tensions and tragedies of sin God just needs the tip of an ear to save a sheep.
Our times are very much like those of Amos. We need to pay more attention to the images of a
tip of an ear, locusts devouring food, plummet about to be dropped, ripe fruit, and the
destruction of an altar.
We need more susstance, less superstition in our religious practise.
With such a vast military that is in 60% of the nations of the world we do not want to think about
our weakness or any ways we need to change.
We need to pay more attention to the message of God's salvation, less attention to our sins.
We might not think what we do is significant but our individual acts of faith may be just the tip of
an ear that God needs to save someone.
JEREMIAH
On the third Sunday we read about Jeremiah. We know a little more about Jeremiah than we
know about Ezekiel or Amos. He was a priest. He was born about 650 BC about 100 years after
Amos prophesied in Israel. We see activity of Jeremiah through about 582 BC. We are not sure
when Ezekiel was born but both of them lived at the time of the Babylonian Exile. Amos was
driven from the shrine at Bethel. That same shrine was closed during the religious reforms of
King Josiah. Jeremiah strongly supported those religious reforms. Because he supported
those reforms there were conspiracies against Jeremiah's life. Like Amos he predicted exile.
Because of those predictions there were conspiracies against his life, he was confined to jail
several times, and was tried for blasphemy. When the Babylonian Exile actually happened the
Babylonians looked favorably upon Jeremiah. So, they gave him a choice. He could go to
Babylon or he could be sent to Judah. He chose to go to Judah and he prophesied there.
Because of his prophesies he was eventually exiled to Egypt.
The word of the Lord first came to Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.,
before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you." Jeremiah's
response was "Ah, Lord God, I am too young. I do not know how to speak. Then the Lord
touched his mouth and said; "I will place words in your mouth." It is interesting that the two
priests Ezekiel and Jeremiah both require some sign before venturing out on their prophetic
role. Amos the one who was not a priest does not seem to demand a sign before venturing off
in his prophetic role.
Jeremiah immediately begins to speak against the infidelity of Israel. Like a true prophet
Jeremiah holds out hope for Israel. Very early in his prophesy we read:
" Return, rebel Israel, says the Lord, I will not remain angry with you: For I am merciful says the
Lord, I will not continue my wrath forever."
There is a unique touch to the prophesy of Jeremiah. He describes not only the infidelity of
Israel, Jeremiah relates some of his own personal struggles. He questions why he was even
born. He seems to doubt if he is doing the work of the Lord. Despite his doubt Jeremiah returns
to acknowledging the presence of the Lord. He uses the marvelous image of the potter. When
the potter sees that his work is going poorly he breaks it up and re-molds the clay to another
image. Jeremiah states that the Lord will do the same with Israel.
Jeremiah's life spanned several different aspects of Israel's history. It began with some of the
false prosperity and military expansion that began at the time of Amos. Part of Israel's military
strength was due to being vassals of Assyria, a great power in their day. Their military was as
much to assure the continuation and expansion of Assyria as to promote Israel. In 621 BC a copy
of the book of Deuteronomy was discovered. This became the basis of religious reform under
King Josiah. Jeremiah was one of the greatest proponents of that reform.
In 612 BC the Assyrian Empire was defeated. This led King Josiah to also seek political reform.
Since Israel was no longer a vassal of Assyria, King Josiah attempted to reunite the kingdoms
of Israel and Judah. With Assyria defeated Egypt and Babylon both sought control of Assyria.
King Josiah was killed by the Egyptians. He was succeeded by King Jehoiakim who restored the
idolatry prevalent at the time of Amos. Jeremiah spoke out strongly against this idolatry. Much
of his suffering was due to this speaking out.
Within a few years Babylonian defeated Egypt and many Israelites were taken as prisoners to
Babylon. Jeremiah suffered greatly at this time and was eventually taken as a prisoner to Egypt.
Among those taken prisoner in Babylonian were the seven sons of King Jehoiakim. There was a
false hope that one of the sons would return to Israel to restore the kingdom of Israel. The first
reading in today's liturgy was given by Jeremiah as a means of dispelling that false hope. The
reading is an indictment of the leaders of Israel. God promises "I myself will gather the remnant
of my flock I will bring them back I will appoint shepherds for them. None shall be missing."
Jeremiah's words can be well summarized in Chapter 31 of his book:
The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt, for they broke
my covenant and I had to show myself their master, says the Lord. But this is the covenant
which I shall make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will place my
law within them, and write it upon their hearts. I will be their God and they shall be my
people. No longer will they need to teach the friends and kinsmen how to know the Lord.
All, from the least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord for I will forgive their evildoing
and remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
We have not grasped this truth. We still want to hang on to our sins and cannot imagine a God
who has completely forgotten our sins. What do we learn from Jeremiah?
1. Times do not really change. Rather it is the time of Amos,Ezekiel, Jeremiah. Jesus, or our own
God is speaking a message of forgiveness but we are not listening.
2. We can play the prophetic role and still have our doubts, fears, and guilts
3.Jeremiah had all the weaknesses we can imagine but still never lost hope in a forgiving God.
4. Jeremiah holds out hope for both the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah.
5. God not only forgives our sins, God does not even remember them. We want to insist that
God remember our sins and ten demand a punishment.
6. If God remembered our sins, God would have no time or energy to love. First of all God has
to forgive for God's sake or he would be overwhelmed by human sin.
7. We also need to forgive ourselves and others for our own sake.
EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to confession to Jesus himself? What
would he say? What would he do? We do have an example of Jesus hearing confessions (at
least a confession). We find it in the story of the woman at the well. She did not intend to go to
confession. She simply came looking for a bucket of water for her family.
It's a marvelous story. Jesus is sitting there resting. He is in Samaria and one of the local
women comes to draw water from the well. We can imagine her surprise at seeing a man there.
It was the woman's job to draw the water for the family. What was a man doing here? Then he
was a Jew. What was a Jewish man doing in Samaria?
The woman does not dare break the silence. Jesus says very softly; "Would you give me a drink
of water, please?" The woman is startled. Why would this man speak to her? Men did not speak
to women in public. Why would this Jew speak to her a Samaritan. Jews did not speak to
Samaritans at all.
She expresses her surprise. "How come you are even talking to me. And then you are asking
me to help you, to give you water?"
I imagine somewhat tongue in cheek Jesus says "Well if you knew who I was, you would ask me
and I would give you living water." Again, the woman is amazed and says: "You don't even have
a bucket. How are you going to draw this living water.?"
He then offers her living water that will flow unto eternal life. She takes that to mean "flowing"
water as in a river. She likes that and says excitedly: "Sir, if you have flowing water give it to me
then I will not have to come here each day to draw water!"
Jesus then asks her to bring her husband. "I have no husband!" Jesus tells her she is correct
in saying she has no husband. She has been married to five different men and the man she is
living with now is not her husband.
She first proclaims that Jesus is a prophet. Then acclaims him as the Messiah. Then she walks
off and leaves her bucket at the well. She forgot even why she had come to the well.
She went home, told the people of her town about Jesus and many were converted. They
invited Jesus to stay two more days in the town to preach.
The story gives us a marvelous insight into just how Jesus might hear confessions. He does
not start out by confronting the sinner with her sin.
He asks her for a cup of water. So, she does not come to him on hands and knees begging. She
has something to offer him. She is overwhelmed by his offer and feels unworthy. But Jesus
offers her something even greater. He is not going to be turned off by our unworthiness.
Only after establishing this relationship does Jesus confront her with her sin. By this time her
sin does not matter. She realizes that her sin does not matter to Jesus either. He has
something far better to offer her than sin.
She leaves her bucket and goes back into town to tell people about this wonderful person who
told her all her sins. She didn't have to tell them. He already knew them and still offered her
living water. So she went out and told everyone about this marvelous man who forgave her
sins. She became one of the first Christian missionaries.
This examination of conscience is based on the dialogue between the confessor Jesus and the
penitent woman.
THE LORD'S GIFTS
What are the gifts I have to offer Jesus and don't even know of?
What barriers have I put in the way of recognizing these gifts?
What gifts AM I aware of? How have I used those gifts?
What gifts does Jesus offer me? How have I used them?
Do I use them for the good of others as well as myself?
THE WOMAN'S DOUBT
How often have I doubted that the Lord could work wonders in my life?
How often have I allowed myself to become overwhelmed by my problems?
LISTENING TO JESUS
Do I make an effort to understand the teaching of Jesus?
How faithful am I to prayer?
Do I listen as well as speak when I pray?
Am I really aware how much effort Jesus makes to reach me?
Do I pay attention to my dreams? My distractions in prayer?
OUR SINS
Do I worship false Gods (even religious ones)?
Do I use God's name in vain (even in my prayer)?
Am I faithful to Sunday mass?
Do I really keep the Lord's Day or is Sunday just another work day?
How do I honor my parents?
RESPONSE TO GOD'S LOVE
In spite of the efforts of God do I feel overwhelmed by my own sin?
Have I forgotten (or never known) that the mercy of God is more powerful than any or all my
sins?
After reflecting on this story and this examination of conscience am I still worried about my sin?
How aware am I of God's forgiveness?
Am I excited about that forgiveness?
Am I excited enough to want to share it with others?
TO CONTINUE Pax Christi
TO RETURN TO HOME PAGE HOME
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed the page.
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH
3041 CHITIMACHA TRAIL
CHARENTON LOUISIANA 70523
337-923-4281
bill crumley
