From Father Steven - April 14, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • April 12, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

The world today is very confusing. Everything is polarized between the extremes. The TRUTH has disappeared and we are left with sociological constructs of what “most” people agreed to be the common view on different subjects. Although this new “truth” is decided by a few people, we are thrown into all this confusion. However, where do we stand in all of it? Do we agree with society or are we ready to make a stand?

 

The very first thing we need to do is to read the context in which we live. The Judeo-Christian society in which we grew up that held morals and had a pretty good grasp of what was right and wrong has almost disappeared. Many values were rewritten and spread so far and wide that has convinced us that bad things are “not so bad.” The content on TV and movies have brainwashed all of us to a new order of life. The consequence of consumerism is to desire what we don’t have, as if having it, it would make us happy. Putting all these elements together, it makes it very difficult for us to navigate in this world.

 

The second step is to become aware of what is happening in our surroundings and look back to Christ. He is the only TRUTH. However, we cannot look at Christ with the mentality of the world. Much less can we look at him with the projects and desires of our lives in our heads. Otherwise the Christ that we find is not the one of the Gospels, but rather the one of our imagination. Jesus invites us to love God with ALL our hearts, minds, and lives. It means that we are called to leave behind our personal desires, the projections that we have for our families, and accept with open arms what He gives us.

 

All these ideas bring us to the conclusion that we almost prefer to live the life of the world instead that of God. The main reason behind that is because we all like comfort and pleasure, and run away from any sufferings. We cannot understand or accept the sufferings, much less the cross. We forget about heaven and only look for our life on earth. It is a similar situation in which the apostles find themselves in the Gospel this weekend. They are blinded with the suffering of Jesus. The Messiah was supposed to throw the Romans out of Israel. He was supposed to be a ruler like David, strong and powerful. Instead, they find themselves confused with the image of the humble Christ who came to serve and not to be served. They cannot understand why Jesus had to suffer on the cross. Although the risen Christ appeared to them multiple times, they were still blind. We will hear this weekend, like the disciples of Emmaus, how Christ opened their eyes to understand the scriptures, “that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead…for the forgiveness of sins.” It is only by the crucifixion that Christ can love his Father with all his heart, mind, and life. It is by His suffering that He redeems all our suffering. It is by His death that we can have life everlasting. It is by his cross and resurrection that we can go to heaven. Therefore, we are called to step out of the world, of our thoughts and projects, in order to understand Jesus. He will say at the end of the Gospel that we the apostles (and us) are witnesses of all of it. Suffering, as inconvenient as it may be, is redemptive. There is a new way of living. Christ is not a ghost or a utopian. He comes to give us life, and life to its fullness/more abundantly (Jn 10:10). I hope you all have experienced that in some capacity. And if we have experienced that, then we are also called to be witnesses in the world. It is not a matter of politics and protests. Rather a new way of life that becomes attractive to the people around us. This is how the apostles evangelized. That is how the Roman Empire converted. This is the only hope that we have for our families and for the world. CHRIST IS RISEN AND HE DIES NO MORE, ALLELUIA.

 

Do not be afraid, brothers and sisters, to look and defend THE TRUTH. In the midst of all the confusion in the world, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He makes our path clear, and enlightens everything for us. This is the treasure that is buried in the field from the parable of Jesus. When we find it, we are called to sell all that we have to buy that field. This is what the saints have discovered and witnessed to us. This is nothing crazy. Remember, crazy is not to do that!

 

God Bless,

Fr Steven

 

From Father Steven - August 30, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • August 28, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I was very happy that I finally had the opportunity a month ago to speak about vaping addiction among the youth. Today, I would like to speak about addictions in general that affect and hurt our families, parish, community, and, above all, ourselves. First of all, it is important to understand that usually no one likes to have an addiction. Substance abuse is not something a person simply chooses to become trapped in. Rather, very often, it is the only resource that a person finds in their struggle. The other day, I was talking to a social worker at the hospital about how we have lost so many of our coping skills. We no longer have the resilience that we used to have in the past. Addiction is often more than a bad habit or a lack of willpower. For many people, it can be connected to pain, trauma, loneliness, or an attempt to cope with difficulties they do not know how to face in healthier ways. Therefore, it can often be understood as a cry for help from someone who is suffering. Once we understand that people may turn to drugs, alcohol, or other substances in an attempt to relieve their pain, we also need to recognize that repeated substance use can produce real changes in the brain and body. A person can develop tolerance, dependence, and powerful cravings that make stopping extremely difficult. This is why addiction cannot simply be reduced to a lack of willpower. What may have begun as an attempt to cope with pain can eventually become a dependency that is very difficult to overcome without help. Anyone who suffers from substance abuse does not need judgment, but love and compassion. As Catholics, we believe that love conquers all things. We also believe that for God, nothing is impossible. Therefore, if there is someone in your family, in your circle of friends, an acquaintance, or even a stranger, let us go the extra mile and be compassionate. Christ does not abandon the person who is suffering. He goes out of His way to bring love and consolation, like the Good Samaritan. He certainly suffers with that person. If Christ does this for us, how can we, as His disciples, do anything less for those who are suffering? The more involved I become in helping people here in Marlboro, the more I discover the many resources available through the city and other agencies. I will try to pull together a sheet with different resources in the community and leave them in the church for those who need them. If someone struggles with alcoholism, drug or medication abuse, or some other sort of addiction, YOU ARE NOT ALONE…and YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE ALONE. God wants to help, and so do we. It is okay; we all have problems, and the solutions at times can seem so far from our reach that we give up. Maybe now is the time to get up and start walking back to the Father’s house, like the Prodigal Son. Maybe now is the time that, together, we will overcome the struggles that lead to addiction.  I invite everyone in our parish to join us for the Overdose Awareness Day ceremony here at the Immaculate Conception Church on Monday August 31 at 7:15pm. Let us come together to remember those whose lives have been lost (you may bring their picture), support those who continue to struggle, and pray for their families and loved ones. Always count with your prayers to you and your loved ones, God bless Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - August 23, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • August 19, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope you are enjoying your summer! I, along with some of the youth of our parish, attended the Steubenville East conference in Springfield a few weeks ago. It is a 3 day catholic conference for high school teens to encounter Christ through eucharistic adoration, the sacraments and dynamic sessions all produced by Lifeteen and Franciscan University. The conference was attended by thousands of youth from all over New England with the hope to ignite life long discipleship in our teens. We have asked one of our youth to share with you a bit of his experience. Please see the letter written by Gabriel Torres below. God Bless, Fr. Gabriel ——————————————— Hello and Happy Sunday, or whenever it is that you read this. I am Gabriel Torres and I am a part of the youth group here, at Immaculate Conception. We, the youth, Fr. Gabriel, and a handful of chaperones recently attended a life changing 3 day Steubenville conference in Springfield. And when I say life changing, I really mean it. I thought the same as you, when Cecilia, our religious education director told us about it. I wanted to go, but was kinda doubting that it could be that fun and life changing, as it is a big statement. I thought that it would just be us, listening to priests talk about Jesus, and I would have gone for that, but it turned out to be so much more. On the first day after the first talk and mini worship concert (with a mosh pit and everything), we were asked to come up with one word to describe how we felt about the conference so far. The word that I chose was Connection. And I still agree, and I think anyone that went would agree. Just feeling the connection between yourself and the Lord, and how that connection spread between each signing heart was just purely gorgeous and fulfilling. Seeing thousands of youth come together and praise the Lord was inspiring. The conference was fun with singing and dancing breaks, with people trying to be as close to the music as possible, and games that got the whole center laughing, all the way down to the serious moments when the speakers were speaking the truths of our hearts. The way that you could just raise your hands and pray to the Lord without having to worry what others might think, but instead feeling the connection to those around you and feeling how through God we were all connected, loved, and worthy, brought tears to even those of us who ‘never’ cry. There was just a rawness at this conference that I have never felt anywhere else. So, if you are a youth, teen, or know someone who might be interested in this conference, I encourage you to come next year. If you have friends that are not fully in the faith, or are Christian and not Catholic, invite them. A Christian teen that I got closer to at the conference told us on day one that he didn’t fully understand everything we did or why, but that he believed in Jesus Christ and that he wanted to follow Jesus, wherever it took him. And that was here. Thank you to all who donated to make this possible, and thank you for allowing us to experience the Lord in a new way. Thank you, and God Bless you all. Your brother in Christ, Gabriel Torres