From Father Steven - February 9, 2025

Father Steven Clemence • February 7, 2025

Living Out the Jubilee Year: A Call to Renewal and Hope

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

As we prepare to celebrate the extraordinary Jubilee Year of 2025, proclaimed by Pope Francis under the theme Pilgrims of Hope, we are invited to embark on a spiritual journey that goes beyond grand public celebrations. This Holy Year is not just about pilgrimages to sacred sites, indulgences, or large gatherings, it is about living a deep and personal renewal in our daily lives.

 

At its heart, a Jubilee Year is a time of grace, reconciliation, and transformation. The Church invites us to seek God’s mercy, embrace forgiveness, and be bearers of hope in a world that desperately needs it. While communal expressions of faith are essential, living out this Jubilee personally is where its true power lies.

 

1. A Time to Strengthen Your Relationship with God

The Jubilee Year offers a unique opportunity to renew our relationship with God. In the busyness of life, it’s easy to lose sight of His presence. Take time each day to pray, reflect on Scripture, and listen to what God is saying to you. Consider attending daily Mass when possible, going to Confession more frequently, and setting aside moments of silence to cultivate a deeper awareness of His love and mercy.

 

2. A Call to Conversion and Reconciliation

Pope Francis emphasizes that hope comes from reconciliation with God, others, and ourselves. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is central to the Jubilee Year. Let us not be afraid to approach God with our weaknesses and failures, trusting in His boundless mercy. In your private life, reflect on relationships that may need healing. Extend forgiveness to those who have hurt you and seek forgiveness where you have caused harm.

 

3. Be a Beacon of Hope

Living as Pilgrims of Hope means being agents of positivity, compassion, and encouragement in a world often marked by despair. In your family, workplace, and community, choose words and actions that build up rather than tear down. Offer a listening ear, speak with kindness, and be a source of joy to those around you.

 

4. Practice Works of Mercy

The Jubilee Year reminds us of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, counseling the doubtful, and more. Find ways to integrate these acts of love into your daily routine. It doesn’t have to be grand gestures; simple acts of kindness, such as checking in on a neighbor or volunteering at a local shelter, can make a significant difference.

 

5. Care for Creation

Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si calls us to be stewards of God’s creation. As part of your Jubilee journey, reflect on how you can live more sustainably and respectfully toward the environment. Small changes, like reducing waste and conserving resources, honor God’s gift of creation and promote hope for future generations.

 

6. Foster Gratitude and Joy

The Jubilee Year is a time of celebration and gratitude. Cultivate a habit of recognizing the blessings in your life, no matter how small. Keeping a gratitude journal or simply pausing each day to thank God for His gifts can transform your outlook and bring peace to your heart.

 

7. Share the Jubilee Message

Finally, share the joy and message of the Jubilee with others. Invite family members and friends to join you in prayer, acts of charity, or simply a conversation about faith. As Pope Francis reminds us, hope is contagious let’s spread it far and wide.

 

In this Jubilee Year, may we all be renewed in faith, filled with hope, and transformed by love. Let us journey together, living out this sacred time in our hearts, homes, and communities. May God bless you and guide you on your path as a true Pilgrim of Hope.

 

We have a lot of events planned starting in the beginning of March. More information will be in next week’s bulletin.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

 



From Father Steven - July 13, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • July 11, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This weekend we will hear the story of the Good Samaritan. We all know the story—but do we act as the Good Samaritan? There are some stories in the Bible that we are so familiar with that we could almost recite them backwards. The danger of becoming too familiar with a story is that it no longer impacts us. We can become numb to the message of Jesus. I would like to offer three thoughts to help us meditate on this Gospel passage. First , the geography is very important. The story takes place on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Therefore, all the characters had just been in the presence of God in the Temple in the Holy City. To bring this into our daily context, it would be as if people had just left Mass. After praying to the Lord, they encounter a victim. Can you imagine—after listening to the commandment of love, they are given the opportunity to put it into practice, but they bypass it? Second , the characters in the story are not horrible people. According to Jewish precepts, if someone touched a corpse, they would become ritually impure. Perhaps they didn’t want to defile themselves. Maybe they didn’t have time to return to Jerusalem to go through the rite of purification. Or perhaps they thought the victim was already dead, or they were simply in a rush. In other words, there could have been a “reasonable” or “justifiable” excuse not to help the needy person. Third , the Samaritans were not on good terms with the Jews. Due to a historical event long ago when the Israelites were taken into exile, their rivalry had deep roots. It would be like the Red Sox and the Yankees, or Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland—they really didn’t like each other. That is why the Samaritan is called “good.” Since Samaritans were generally viewed negatively, this one stood out as “good.” However, this hostility did not stop our Samaritan friend from helping his neighbor. Though they all believed in the same God, not all acted like God. Jesus tells us that all the Law is summed up in love of God and neighbor. We can all know what is right and wrong, like the characters in the Bible. The real question is: do we excuse ourselves like the priest and the Levite, or do we act like the Samaritan? As we approach the Lord at Mass this weekend, let us not be mere consumers. Quite the opposite—let us be re-energized and do what the Lord has done for us. As we witness Christ giving His life for us in His Body and Blood, let us do the same. “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). This command “is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out,” as we hear in the first reading. Finally, I would like to highlight a couple of things. This Sunday, 7/13 , some parishioners will be holding a fundraiser for a group of 50 pilgrims who will attend the Youth Jubilee in Rome this summer. They will host a ticketed Spanish Rock Concert at 3 p.m., either in Meehan Hall or in the parking lot (donations can also be sent to the parish office). We are also promoting the Catholic Fest event next weekend. There will be food and games in the parking lot. We’ll also have Sean Forrest, a singer and missionary, sharing his amazing witness from 2–3:30 p.m. (in the church). I hope you can stop by on Saturday, July 19th , from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Let us not miss these opportunities to support our parish—and to love one another! God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - July 6, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • July 3, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This weekend we celebrate the Independence of the United States of America. With this Jubilee year that we are currently celebrating one can’t help but think that the following year the United States will celebrate a jubilee of its own, 250 years! Let this earthly liberation remind us of a much older spiritual liberation that took place some 2,000 years ago with the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. After the Fall of Adam and Eve we were at the mercy of the world, and the prince of this world who is Satan. The title prince comes from the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John to reference the real but limited power the devil has over this world and us who dwell in it. Christ, however, won us back through the shedding of his blood. Even when he was still with his disciples, already the kingdom of darkness was being destroyed as we hear in today’s Gospel, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.” “He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” (Col 1:13) Just in our parish alone we are from many different countries but we all belong to the same heavenly kingdom by virtue of the Lord’s crucifixion. Let this weekend remind us that we should always keep our eyes fixed on this heavenly Kingdom because ironically, although the war has been won, the battle is still very much present in our own lives. That is why St. Peter exhorts us, “stay sober and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, solid in your faith.” Today, July 6th is the memorial of St. Maria Goretti. Although the Sunday takes precedence over her feast day, nevertheless we can see someone who was solid in her faith. Born in 1890 Corinaldo, Italy, Maria was the third of seven children. When she was just eleven years old a man named Alessandro made advances on her but she refused. As a result of her unwillingness to sin she was stabbed fourteen times. On her death bed, Maria said that she forgave Alessandro, “I forgive him, and I want him with me in heaven!” Alessandro was sentenced to thirty years in prison and after several years in a dream he saw Maria handing him lilies. It was at this moment that he realized that he could be forgiven. Knowing that Maria forgave him, he began to accept the forgiveness of God. After twenty-seven years in prison he was released and went directly to Maria’s mother. To his astonishment, Maria’s mother forgave him and she said that it was because her own daughter had forgiven him. Alessandro became a Franciscan where he remained for the rest of his life. Maria was canonized in 1950 in the presence of her family and Alessandro. As we can see, we are still in the midst of a battle where the devil can lead us to sin. However, God’s mercy and love is far greater than what we can imagine and he can lead us from slavery to sin to the freedom belonging to the children of God. God Bless, Fr. Steven
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