From Father Steven - March 16, 2025

Father Steven Clemence • March 14, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

When we die, how do you want to be remembered? What will people say about our character? I’m not sure if you ever had this thought. Certainly we have spoken about others. Now, how will God remember our lives? What will Christ speak of us? What must we do to change the course of our lives?


Quite often, I meet a lot of people who are good people. They are good spouses, parents, and children. However, do they resemble God in their lives? Do people see their faces glowing? Are they slow to anger and quick to forgive? Do they have an intimate life with Christ in prayer and sacrament? We are not called to be good people. Our calling is to be a saint, and to bear the image of Christ in our lives. 


This weekend we hear the passage of the transfiguration. Peter sees the glory of God as this dazzling white light. It is the same light that the women see in the angels announcing the resurrection. Moses after seeing God on Mt. Sinai, would also have this glow on his face. Some of the saints are also said to have this same glow of the love of God when caring for others. One good starting point is to look at the corporal works of mercy. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes it “consists especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.”(CCC2447). Jesus Christ says that when we clothe the naked, visit those in prison, feed the hungry, it is Christ himself that we help (Mt 25:31-40). Now there are many ways to be charitable towards others. Here in the Church (on the side of the church) we have the community fridge, where it is a great way to feed the hungry. Have you ever considered cooking dinner for an extra person and putting it out there? Or even take from what is yours and share it with them? It is not a matter of giving the leftovers, or even things that you don’t like. You can fast from candy, cookies, or chocolate and share it with them. Those in need also enjoy good things. You can also contribute to Our Father’s Table and the food pantry, which also accepts donations of clothes.


Imagine if our effort could reach out to people not just in Marlboro, but throughout the whole Archdiocese of Boston. The Catholic Appeal is a way to help those in need on a larger scale, from the poor, to priests, those getting married, prison ministry, struggling parishes, and so many other ways. I have seen firsthand the impact of this campaign. It is amazing what can be done with so little. If we do so much with so little, how much more could we do with more? This weekend, the 2025 Catholic Appeal will officially launch here in our parish and across our Archdiocese. As your pastor, I hope and encourage you to join me in making a gift to this year’s Catholic Appeal.  As we celebrate the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, our participation in the Catholic Appeal signifies an important way that we can share Christ’s promise, care, and love with others. For those who have already made a gift, please know that I am deeply grateful. We are hoping to have a strong participation from our parish! Our goal this year is $ 55,500, of which we already have 27% of it. Please pray during this week for God to speak to you and help your heart to be generous next week in our pledges. 



Thank you for moving us “Forward in Faith”!

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

 

From Father Steven - November 1, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • October 30, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This weekend we observe All Saints Day, and on Monday we will remember all the faithful departed (All Souls’ Day). It is important for us to understand the relationship we have with the saints and the dead. First of all, it is crucial to know that the saints are great examples of our faith. They are to be venerated, not worshipped, and serve as role models for us. Their lives show us a path that can lead us closer to God. In a similar way that Tom Brady, Larry Bird, and Big Papi inspire young people around here to become professional athletes, the saints do the same for those who want to be part of Team Jesus. We not only look up to them, but we can also model our lives according to their practices of faith. Secondly, not all the saints lived perfect lives. Some had very troubled pasts, others were known for their vices, and still others converted near the end of their lives. What is important is how they responded to God's grace and surrendered their lives to Him. St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Charles de Foucauld all experienced periods in their early lives when they were far from the holiness they later embraced. St. John of God was admitted to a psychiatric hospital before fully embracing his mission after his conversion. St. Bartolo Longo became involved in satanism before turning to Christ. St. Dismas, the Good Thief who was crucified alongside Jesus, was not a follower of Christ during His public ministry. Yet, at the very end of his life, he professed his faith in Jesus and received the promise of paradise. Therefore, our past does not have to define our future. What matters is whether we turn to Christ, repent of our sins, and accept His forgiveness and the salvation He offers us. Finally, the saints want us to be with them in heaven. Therefore, we can ask for their help and intercession, especially for spiritual goods that will help us conform our lives to Jesus. Getting to know the saints and their lives is extremely rewarding. I personally read the description of the saint of the day every day. Do not treat them like the genie in the lamp, asking for mundane favors or help finding lost objects. Of course, they can also intercede for us in our daily needs as a sign of their love for us. But imagine asking Tom Brady to come here to the parish to help us find our keys! It would be a waste of his time. This weekend, all the relics we have will be exposed in the church, with a brief description of each, for veneration after Mass. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask the saints for a special spiritual favor that will help you get to heaven. On Monday, we will pray for all the faithful departed. We believe that those who die face the particular judgment of God. At that moment, their eternal destiny is determined: those who die in God's grace and friendship and are fully purified enter heaven; those who definitively reject God separate themselves from Him forever in hell. Those who die in God's grace but still need purification before entering heaven undergo that purification in purgatory. Our prayers cannot change the fate of those who are in hell, and the saints in heaven do not need our prayers. However, the souls being purified in purgatory can benefit from our prayers. We can offer prayers, sacrifices, and indulgences for them. That is why we pray for the souls in purgatory and for all the faithful departed. We do not know with certainty whether a particular person is in heaven or hell, unless the Church has declared someone a saint. Therefore, it is always good to pray for those who have died. We have a book in which you can write the names of your deceased loved ones, and we will pray for them throughout the month of November. Lastly, and briefly, Fr. Carlos Martins, who has a special ministry, will be coming to our parish on Monday, November 16, to host a “Night with an Exorcist.” He will give a talk to clarify some of the misleading information about spiritual warfare circulating on social media. It is important to hear how the Church understands evil and how we can protect ourselves spiritually. Save the date on your calendars! God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - October 25, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • October 23, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, How fitting is the Gospel we have this weekend as we welcome the Marlboro Fire Department for Firefighter Sunday! As we continue our observance of Respect Life Month, it is important to remember that we are called to respect not only the vulnerable and those in need, but every single person. Throughout the years that I have served as chaplain of the fire department, I have always been impressed by their kindness and willingness to serve all those in need. Certain calls, such as house fires, accidents, and dire medical emergencies, make it easy to understand why they rush to the truck and are ready to rescue the victims. However, I have also seen them give their best in response to other calls, whether to help someone in a nursing home, provide lift assistance, or respond to a residential lockout, regardless of the time of day or the weather. They don't rescue cats from trees anymore, but if there were a call for such a need, I am sure they would be there. Now it is time for us to reflect on how often we respond to the call to help someone and what our attitude is when we do so. The call we have received is not simply to perform a task, but to do it out of love. We can help someone with kindness or do so begrudgingly, like teenagers taking out the trash. The Gospel this weekend is a call to love God and our neighbor. The call to love God is to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. The call to love our neighbor is to love our neighbor as ourselves. No one treats himself or herself with contempt, rolls their eyes at their own needs, or remains indifferent to them. Therefore, we are called to follow the example of the men and women who serve in our fire department as we fulfill our Christian call to love. Sometimes, love means responding to an ordinary need, even when it is inconvenient. To respect life is to respect the other person, regardless of their color, race, religion, or sex. God does not treat us as we deserve, nor is His love based on our merits. Rather, God has loved us with a love beyond all telling, even when we have misbehaved, been disobedient, or disregarded Him. In another passage of the Gospel of John, Christ commands us to love one another as He has loved us (Jn 13:34). To show us that this call is not impossible, next week we shall celebrate All Saints' Day! Since it falls on a Sunday this year, all the weekend Masses will celebrate this solemnity. The saints were not superheroes, nor were they special beings. They were ordinary people like you and me. I am sure that some of them had difficult personalities, some had a rough past, and others did not always walk a straight line. However, they all loved! They allowed God's grace to transform their lives and learned to love as Christ loved. In the Gospel, Jesus concludes that the whole law depends on loving God and our neighbor. Everything else is secondary. The moment we choose to act out of love, God will give us the necessary graces to bring that action to completion. Lastly, as we do every year, we invite all the children (and I would invite the adults as well!) to dress up as a saint for the 11 a.m. Mass. We shall have the procession of the saints during Mass. It will be both a fun moment and a special devotion to our favorite saints. I am sure this devotion will go a long way in helping us when we need their intercession. For All Souls' Day we shall have a trilingual mass at 6:00pm in addition to the regular 7:30am mass. We will honor all the deceased of the parish of this past year, and all of those you would like to include in the book located in front of the St. Joseph statue (on the right side altar). Please join me as we honor, acknowledge, and pray for our firefighters, asking God to always give them courage, protect them, and bless them and their families. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! God Bless, Fr. Steven