Easter Vigil @ St. Peter Chesaning

HOMILY - EASTER VIGIL IN THE HOLY NIGHT, ST. PETER CHESANING

APRIL 3, 2021

In the early 1970s, a research project at Xerox – the “Alto,” a computer that used the first Graphical User Interface, or GUI (“gooey”) – introduced the computer icon. The Alto had icons for documents, folders, computers, and people. 

In 1981, Xerox released the “Star” computer into the consumer market. It was not very well received.

Apple Computer, released the “Lisa” computer in 1983, and the “Macintosh” computer in 1984. The latter used icons created by noted artist Susan Kare, who also designed the icons for Windows 3.1 … and the rest is history.

We have just – perhaps for the first time in a long time – read through ALL 7 Old Testament readings, the Epistle reading, and the Gospel for Easter Vigil.

Congratulations!

The readings take us down a path of images, tests, promises, and redemptions … covering somewhere between 5 and 10 thousand years.

We heard first, the creation account from Genesis. God creates in pairs:

Heavens and Earth,


(Waters) Above and Below, and


Land and Sea.

He then fills them with 

Sun, Moon, and Stars; 


Flying and Sea creatures; and


Land Animals and Humans. 

Three days to create space, and three days to fill those spaces.

God’s crowning achievement is the creation of humanity. The one and only creation of His that is made in His “image and likeness.”

We then heard of the test of Abraham, sometimes called the “Binding of Isaac.”

In this account: (1) the father has a plan, (2) the son bears the burden, and (3) God provides the sacrifice. Sort of like what we heard yesterday. Although, yesterday, the Father was God, not Abraham; and the son was Jesus Christ, not Isaac.

The first story served as an “image” of the second. 

And … the site of the first story, Mount Moriah, was the eventual site of the Temple of Jerusalem, which was an “image” of Paradise, the Garden of Eden.

We then heard of the Liberation of Israel from Egypt … an “image” of their freedom from sin, and our own freedom from sin and death. 

We heard the back-to-back readings from Isaiah – the Restoration of Israel and the Inclusion of the Gentiles. Then a lyric poem to God’s Wisdom, and the Regeneration of God’s people … a cleansing from sin.

After the Glory to God, and the lighting of the altar candles, we heard St. Paul tell us, in his letter to the Romans, about the effects of Baptism.

And, with the restoration of the Alleluia – for the first time in 40-some days – we heard how the women were “utterly amazed” at the three surprises they beheld: (1) the stone door of the Tomb was rolled away, (2) two angels were waiting to give them a message, and (3) the message of the angels – “Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified … has been raised.”

Images … Restoration, Regeneration, Resurrection.

The image of our first parents in the likeness of God … has been restored. 

Sin no longer has any hold over us. 

We have been “crucified … and died with Christ” … and “death no longer has any power over” us.

God has fulfilled the covenant promises. God has restored us as His beloved Sons and Daughters. 

It looks like we’ve made it … through Lent of 2021 … and have made it to Easter.

Christ has risen! Alleluia, alleluia! Indeed he has risen! Alleluia, alleluia!

Good Friday @ St. Peter, Chesaning

HOMILY - GOOD FRIDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION, ST. PETER, CHESANING

APRIL 2, 2021

In Anglo-American Common Law, the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur infers a duty of care, breach of that duty, and causation from the very nature of an injury.

The Latin phrase res ipsa loquitur literally means “the thing speaks for itself.” 

The first use of res ipsa loquitur appears to be from the Roman statesman Cicero, and it wasn’t until 1865 that it entered the mind of English judge Sir Charles Edward Pollock, a Baron of the Court of the Exchequer ... and the rest is history.

This legal doctrine has entered into many locations touched by English Common Law, besides the US and England, it appears in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, and Hong Kong.

Today is Good Friday. And we have just heard the lengthy reading of the Passion of St. John.

What a mess.

The Chief Priests, the Scribes, and Pharisees were supposed to uphold the Law of Moses. But they wanted Jesus dead. And they were willing to cut a few corners and to stir up a riot in order to get their way.

Pilate, as military governor, was supposed to uphold the Roman Law, keep the peace, and exact strict justice. Yet he was scared. He had a history of upsetting the Jewish people – accidentally desecrating the Temple with images. He threatened a slaughter, and was forced to back down. This earned him an imperial rebuke. Then he raided the Temple treasury to build an aqueduct, and later on did slaughter a group of Jews whom he thought were and uprising. He tried to keep those quiet.

So, here comes another crowd, and it's just one man … if he was that … a man.

The arrest, the scourging, the carrying of the Cross, the crucifixion and death. 

What in the world is going on here?

The thing speaks for itself. 

Hatred. Fear. Violence. Death.

And what about Jesus? 

Does He not take this all on despite His innocence?

He says very little. He doesn’t fight back. He accepts it all calmly and without reservation.

His actions speak for themself.

Love. Courage. Peace. And life.

Of course where the story ends today, we make it up to His death. 

But stay tuned tomorrow night and Sunday. 

Because after three days … He will indeed rise again.

Holy Thursday Mass @ St. Cyril Bannister

HOMILY - EVENING MASS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER

APRIL 1, 2021

The past thirteen months of the Corona Virus have turned our world on its head. Thirteen months ago, we shook hands, hugged, kissed, shared utensils, drank out of the same glass, and … gasp! … even breathed on each other. Imagine that!

Now we live in a world of vaccines, hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes, surgical masks, vitamins, and social distancing. 

It would seem that nothing – anymore – is clean enough.

Today is Holy Thursday. And our Gospel is from the beginning of Chapter 13 of St. John’s Gospel … the washing of the Disciples’ feet.

We hear at first what Our Lord knew: (1) His hour had come, (2) the devil had induced Judas, and (3) God the Father had given everything into Jesus’s power, and that He had come from the God and was returning to God.

We even hear that beautiful line: 

He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.

The word, “end” here means having reached a goal or a purpose.

And after telling us what Jesus “knew,” St. John tells us what Jesus “did.” 

He washes His disciples’ feet. 

Weird.

After His Transfiguration, where a select group of disciples have seen His glory, he now takes on the lowest role – that of a servant or slave. 

Certainly not something one would associate with glory. 

Certainly not an elevated position.

Certainly not what a “master,” “teacher,” or “Lord” would – or should – do.

Jesus’s purpose is to remind the disciples – and to remind us – of humility.

On Palm Sunday, I spoke of the humility of Christ … and the hymn found in the second reading from the second chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. 

though he was in the form of God … 

he emptied himself,
     

taking the form of a slave … 

he humbled himself …

And in this humble role, Jesus proceeds to make His disciples “clean” – the word here means both “clean” as well as “pure” – in a physical sense, in a ritual sense, in an ethical sense – and in a spiritual sense.

And Our Lord calls what He is doing a “model” … an “example” … a “thing to be imitated.”

What are we imitating? 

Humility. 

Holiness. 

And in the verses just following what we heard read this evening, our Lord promises “blessedness” … in the Greek, makarios … “Happiness.”

The world tells us to pursue happiness – for its own sake. Yet starting there it is very easy to get lost, and we see that in the world – many people are lost. Because to start there is backwards … it turns the reality up-side-down.

Our Lord teaches us to be humble – as He is humble. He teaches us to be holy – as He is holy. And with that as a foundation … imitating His humility and His holiness … only then can we be truly happy … blessed in His grace, in His mercy, and in His love.

As we approach this altar to receive Him – Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity – Christ Jesus our “master” … our “teacher” … our “Lord and God” – let us do what He has done for us … for one another … to one another … so that we might indeed be blessed in Him.

May our imitation of Christ’s humility lead us to holiness … and ultimately eternal happiness with Him for ever.

Sacred Paschal Triduum @ St. Vincent de Paul

VIDEOS - THE SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM

HOLY SATURDAY

Easter Vigil in the Holy Night 4-11-2020


Office of Readings 4-11-2020 (PDF booklet)


GOOD FRIDAY

Good Friday of the Lord's Passion 4-10-2020


Office of Readings 4-10-2020 (PDF booklet)



HOLY THURSDAY

Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper 4-9-2020


Office of Readings 4-9-2020 (PDF booklet)


ADDITIONAL PRAYERS

Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary


Stations of the Cross


Additional video prayers posted at:
www.facebook.com/davidjenuwine and www.facebook.com/fatherdavidjenuwine.com

Good Friday @ St. Apollinaris Church

HOMILY - GOOD FRIDAY TRE ORES SERVICE
APRIL 14, 2017
7:00 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) SERVICE



THE SEVEN WORDS FROM THE CROSS

Three from Luke, three from John, one from both Matthew and Mark.

1. Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
2. Luke 23:43: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
3. John 19:26–27: “Woman, behold, your son.” “Behold, your mother.”
4. Matthew 27:46 & Mark 15:34 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
5. John 19:28: “I thirst.”
6. John 19:30: “It is finished.”
7. Luke 23:46: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”

Traditionally, these seven sayings are called words of
1. Forgiveness,
2. Salvation,
3. Relationship,
4. Abandonment,
5. Distress,
6. Triumph, and
7. Reunion.

1. In Baptism, we receive God’s forgiveness Sacramentally for the first time, throughout our life in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and near the end in the Anointing of the Sick.

2. Salvation is won for us in Christ’s saving Passion which we commemorate every day in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

3. Baptism, again, establishes us in relationship with the Most Holy Trinity, as well as making us members of the Church. The other Sacraments strengthen or repair those relationships throughout our life.

4. The abandonment that Christ felt was the weight of sin. Sin is a separation from God or a separation from one another. We are called to live in right relationship with God and each other through Jesus Christ.

5. Christ’s distress – manifested here as His thirst – is a thirst for souls. He shows how far He is willing to go to save us. Are we willing to allow Him into our lives?

6. This is not the end. What is finished is our redemption, and it is a cry of triumph and victory of souls won for Christ. This is the beginning of a new creation in Christ.

7. Christ’s reunion with the Father in surrendering His Spirit to God is an example to us of how we are called to live out our life in the Trinity. In the Godhead, nothing is held back. When we surrender everything to God, we receive back one hundred fold.

Good Friday at St. Apollinaris Church

Evening Service - Good Friday

Holy Thursday @ St. Apollinaris Church

HOMILY - HOLY THURSDAY EVENING MASS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER
APRIL 13, 2017
7:00 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASS



A mnemonic is a memory device, sometimes a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that help to remember something.

For example, the colors of the rainbow: “ROY G. BIV” gives us: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet … which also helps to remember the color code on component resistors in electronics.



Musicians use mnemonics to remember the strings on their instruments. To remember the lines on the treble clef, there is “Every Good Boy Does Fine,” or if they have a sweet tooth, perhaps, “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.” Violinists know that “Good Dogs Always Eat,” which I’m sure Toby will be glad to know. But as any guitarist will remind even the rectory dog: “Every Animal Does Grace Before Eating.”



Mnemonics can be great fun, and can contribute to not only passing a test on any given subject but also tend to stick in our minds for many years.



The word “mnemonic” comes from the Greek meaning  “to remember” or “be mindful.” And tonight, on this Holy Thursday, we have gathered here to remember.

In today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus, we hear about the first Passover and how it was to be a “memorial feast” and a “perpetual institution.”



Building on this memorial at the Last Supper, Jesus establishes the new covenant, which is to be done “in remembrance of [Him]”.

In this remembering … that is, this looking backwards we are to “proclaim his death”; St. Paul then tells us to look forward “until he comes”; and in the next verse after today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us to look within … saying we “should examine [ourselves]” to eat and drink the Body and Blood of Our Lord “worthily”.

This creates a sort of “active remembering,” not only looking back; but also looking forward, as well as looking within.



In today’s Gospel from John chapter 13, we hear about Jesus washing His disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. Something that we will commemorate in action following the homily.

Jesus shows us 3 steps to form ourselves as His disciples through this process of “active remembering.”



The first step is humility. Humility comes from remembering where we’ve come from, understanding where we are going, and realizing who we are before almighty God. Jesus, despite being God, takes on the nature of a slave, and washes His disciples’ feet.

The Gospel is silent on what the first eleven disciples might have said or done. Perhaps they said nothing. Perhaps they didn’t even notice Who it was Who was washing their feet. But Peter notices. And Peter objects!

Which brings us to the next step, which is holiness.

In order to aspire to holiness, it is imperative that we allow Jesus to wash us “all over”. While this is an allusion to Baptism, there is more.

In many situations, we do things our way, objecting to allowing God’s grace into areas of our lives that are … well … like feet: stinky, sweaty, dirty … maybe peeling, calloused, scarred. But it is those places where we most need the healing power of Christ … the saving power of Jesus … to redeem us … indeed, from sin; but also from ourselves.



We forget that we are weak and sinful. We forget that we do not always know the way. We forget that we have a Savior Who suffered and died to save us.

Two chapters further in John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to “remain in [Him] … because without [Him] [we] can do nothing.”

Let that sink in. Nothing. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zip.



Without Jesus. We. Can. Do. Nothing.

And so, we must remember that we are weak … to remember that we need to be saved … to remember that we need a Savior ... and remember that we, indeed, do have a Savior.



And the third and last step, which comes two verses after our Gospel ends is happiness. The missing verse is:

If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.

Or to vary the translation slightly:

If you understand this, [happy] are you if you do it.

And so, today we commence the Sacred Pascal Triduum.



And we remember. Looking back 2,000 or so years ago to the days and events surrounding His passion, death, and resurrection. We look forward to our own future glory united to Him in His resurrection and when He comes. We look within to examine our hearts next to His Most Sacred Heart. Asking for the graces to follow Him in humility, in holiness, and in happiness.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us engage in “active remembering” … looking back, looking forward, and looking within ourselves. To follow Christ all the way to the Cross … through humility, with holiness, and in happiness.

For indeed,

[Jesus] loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.[And,] [i]f you understand this, blessed are you if you do it."

Photos from Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) at St. Apollinaris, Napa, CA