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From Father Steven - July 14, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • July 11, 2024

 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

 

I came across a very interesting article about Resting on Vacations. It is often very difficult to rest properly. I hope it helps you and your family.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

 

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The school holidays can often lead to conflicts within families as they struggle to balance the children's desire for fun with the parents' need for rest. This is especially true for families who cannot synchronize their vacations with those of their children. Additionally, teenagers often find their parents' plans boring and prefer to make their own arrangements. So, how can families find rest and leisure together? This article will not provide a "vacation itinerary" or suggest games or activities for children. Instead, it will draw upon the Word of God and the Magisterium of the Church to offer a teaching on rest that can provide a foundation for families to plan their own leisure time within their own realities and possibilities.

 

The need for rest is something we can all feel in our bodies and minds, but we don't always have a clear idea of what it really means to rest. Some people rest simply by sleeping, others by looking at a landscape, while others, with more active temperaments, come up with such complicated ways to rest that they end up getting more tired than before. Rest, in fact, is something that deeply touches our desire for happiness, well-being, and the restoration of the "lost paradise." In the biblical "paradise," before sin, human work meant caring for the work of creation in submission to God. We can find this call directed to us in the command: "fill the earth and subdue it" (Gn 1:28). According to the narrative of the book of Genesis, God blessed the seventh day and consecrated it, for on that day he had ceased from all the work that he had created (cf. Gn 1:3). Saint John Paul II, in the Letter "Dies Domini" (Day of the Lord), teaches that here the day of rest was created, the day set apart for the praise of the Creator.

 

Sin distorted everything! Man was called to live in an orderly way: administering the earth in submission to the Lord and, on the seventh day, resting in God. And everything he would do, both in work and in rest, would always be in honor and praise of God. Still in the book of Genesis we can read that, after the sin of man, God walked in the garden of paradise in the afternoon breeze in search of the man and the woman, who hid from him! (cf. Gn 3:8-11) - It is clear that these narratives were written in a symbolic language, to refer to much deeper realities. From the moment of sin, we would eat bread with the sweat of our brow (cf. Gn 3:19) and hide from God, avoiding walking with Him in the afternoon breeze. The meaning of work and rest was lost. However, Jesus came to redeem the true meaning of these realities. The Gospels show us in Jesus - the model of man - the order restored between work and rest; how often we see him setting aside some of his time from his intense work of healing and evangelization, of spreading and establishing the Kingdom, to withdraw and rest with his friends! Rest is not an escape from work or irresponsibility, but a need that the human being has to interrupt a series of productive activities to enjoy activities in which there is no tension for results. Leisure, therefore, is not a period of simply staying inactive, but of "occupying oneself" in activities that do not generate any of the inner demands that tire the mind and body.

 

In this way, finding the dreamed-of rest becomes not a matter of choosing the most beautiful place, the most fun companions, or the favorite games. Although all of this can even be found, true rest requires much more of an inner disposition: to abandon all the activism we have been living in our daily lives, which generates so much disunity and murmuring, to find ourselves again through loving interpersonal relationships and a true spirit of charity, which is the praise that God expects of us.

 

In light of all that we have seen, it becomes clear that families need to come together to pray and listen to what God wants to provide for them on that Sunday, on that vacation, on that holiday. This will involve giving up on each of us pulling in the direction we believe is the best leisure option. Again, in the Letter "Dies Domini," the Holy Father says that Jesus came to redeem Sunday, through our recreation as new men and women who submit their whole lives to Him and find in Him true joy and authentic rest. Here are our prayers that together, as a family, we may truly live the rest that the Lord has won for us. Let us, as families, seek to find true rest together. 

 

From Father Steven - February 23, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • February 21, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week’s readings urge us to love our neighbors. It is certainly not easy, but not impossible either. Let us reflect on what God is asking us and how we can do it. The greatest and most important tenet of our faith, and the first commandment is to love God and Him alone. The other day someone came to my office asking how we can love God. There are many ways to love God, talking to Him, listening to what He has to tell us, and putting into practice what He revealed to us. Another way we have to love God is to love everything that he created and to love Him in other people. Sometimes we don’t see God in other people. We forget that every single person was created in His image and likeness. Therefore, God can be seen in each person. Surely if we look at a person’s actions, we might not see God. However, He is present in that person in one way or another. Then, it flows from there what Christ will tell us what the other commandment is, “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt22:39) One important observation is that these are not merely laws or suggestions which we can follow or break. The Jews see the 10 commandments as the “words of Life.” That is, these are the words that give us (eternal) life. Sometimes we understand only the legality of the law. We don’t understand the spirit through which it was passed onto us. A father does not have to create a law for his children saying that it is wrong to stick the finger into a power outlet. He teaches his children that it will hurt them if they do that. God in his pedagogy with the people of Israel and by extension with ourselves, he also teaches us what to do and what to avoid. These teachings that are meant to help lead us to heaven are handed down to us through the optic of the legal/judiciary mentality of the Roman Law. It is no longer a matter of doing the will of God or following the path to holiness, but rather to follow the dictate of the law. Returning to the original topic of our reflection, we can now read that through a different way. The love of the other person, it is no longer a matter of personal preference, but rather, it is a path to salvation. It is interesting to observe that Christ will say to “love” one another. He never said that we have to like other people. Then he adds on, love “as I have loved you.” (Jn 13:34). Here we qualify what kind of love we are to give, that is, the same that we have received. Then the moment that we understand that by loving each other is the path to salvation, why should we not do it? What could prevent us from loving the other? Of course, to love the people that love us is easy, and to love the ones that are good to us is also natural. However, what about loving the people that persecute, hurt, and despise us? Let us look at St. Stephen while he is being stoned, or St Paul as he writes to the persecuted Christian community of Rome “bless those who persecute you.” (12:14). There are so many other testimonies of countless Christians that showed love to their executioners. Then, again, why should we not follow their example? One may add that he does not have the graces or he is not a saint like them, which is a valid response. I insist on asking the same question, what prevents us from being like them? We were all created in the same image and likeness of God. We all received the same Holy Spirit. We all received the same blessings through the sacraments. In this Jubilee year, God wants to give many special graces. These graces are all means to help us to go to heaven by putting into practice that which God has called us. That is why we will be doing many activities this year to help flourish the graces in us and reject sin and the disordered desire for worldly things. I would even dare to say that God allows difficult people in our lives as a way to help us, not the contrary. In the life of St. Therese of Lisieux, we learn how challenging her mother superior was and how providential she was to make her a saint. Then, starting in Lent, we invite you to come to adoration and take advantage of the sacrament of confession Monday, Wednesday, Friday in English, Tuesday in Spanish, Thursday in Portuguese (Monday to Friday 6-7pm). We are also preparing talks every week where everyone is welcome to attend. God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - February 16, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • February 14, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope these recent bulletins have helped you look forward to this Jubilee Year. Many exciting events are coming up to help us receive the special graces that this year offers. Before diving into what we, as a parish, have planned, I would like to make one final observation. The Church has restored the Jubilee to help us receive the graces necessary for our sanctification. However, these graces are not given magically - they require a disposition of heart, an openness to receive them, and a willingness to put them into action. These special graces are meant to help us grow in the divine nature we received at baptism and continue to nourish through the sacraments. But as the challenges of the spiritual life increase, so does our soul’s need for strength and renewal. Indulgences and the other spiritual opportunities we will have this year serve as a means to detach ourselves from worldly distractions and remove what hinders our full communion with God and one another. In a way, they are like spiritual supplements that help our souls function properly and bear the fruits that God has planted in us - the fruits of the Spirit. As Archbishop Henning has chosen our parish to be a pilgrimage site, we will have both regional and parish-level events. I have been asked to help guide parishioners in their desire to draw closer to the Lord and to provide meaningful opportunities to satisfy that longing. As a parish, we will launch the Jubilee Year with a trilingual Mass on March 1st at 4:00 PM , followed by a brief time of adoration and a fellowship gathering with appetizers. As we enter Lent the following week, starting March 10th , we will begin offering daily adoration from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (in addition to our morning adoration from 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM). Confessions will be available during adoration. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in English, Tuesdays in Spanish and Thursdays in Portuguese. Note: This will be our new confession times and will replace the Tuesday, 5:00pm - 6:00pm confession for the time being. Additionally, we will have a weekly talk every Wednesday after adoration on various topics. These talks will be led by different members of our parish and the archdiocese. Spanish talks will be held on Tuesdays, and Portuguese talks on Thursdays. The goal is to encourage participation, rekindle our faith, and deepen our spiritual lives. We have three committees - one for each language - working on more events, including a Parish Recollection Day and retreats. We will have a 24Hr Adoration at the end of March. We are also exploring the possibility of organizing a local pilgrimage later in the year. To foster fellowship and strengthen our community, we are planning a trilingual bingo night on March 22nd. While some details are still being finalized, we encourage you to save the date! We also hope to host two Fish Fry events during Lent, with dates to be announced soon. Brothers and sisters, all of these efforts are meant to draw us closer to Christ. They help us recognize our deep thirst for His love, and by satisfying that thirst, we can share it with others, no matter who they are. We are all called to spread God’s love and fulfill the mission Christ gave us: “Go and make disciples of all nations!” Let us take advantage of the opportunities before us and make the most of them! I also invite you to pray for these initiatives, that they may bring many people back to the Lord and reignite His fire in our hearts. God Bless, Fr. Steven
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