From Father Steven - March 9, 2025

Father Steven Clemence • March 7, 2025

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — I’m so excited for Lent this year! Lent is more than just a time when we give up our treats; it’s an opportunity to fall in love with the Lord all over again. It’s a time for deepening our relationship with Him and with one another. The traditional Lenten practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are meant to help us do just that. But how do we live them out? What do each of these practices truly mean?


Every Christian is called to follow in the steps of Jesus, which means that, like Him, we will experience both passion and resurrection. Included in this journey is the experience of temptation, just as Jesus faced temptations. The first temptation we hear about in the Gospel this Sunday is the devil’s offer for Jesus to turn stones into bread. According to the Fathers of the Church, this temptation is about avoiding suffering. After fasting for 40 days, Jesus was hungry. The devil took advantage of this by offering Jesus the chance to end His suffering by filling His belly with bread. But we know that bread is not the true source of life. While it satisfies us for a time, we will hunger again. I often think of how children sometimes fill up on junk food and then have no appetite for their main meals. The solution is to resist the snacks, and in time, real hunger will return for what nourishes us. In the same way, Lent is a time for us to fast and discover our true hunger for the Lord. Whatever source of comfort, peace, or joy you turn to outside of God, consider fasting from it. This could be something like coffee, chocolate, gossip, or complaining. Jesus invites us to hunger for Him — to discover that He is the TRUE BREAD FROM HEAVEN! Instead of spending time on screens, playing games or watching shows, take time to read and meditate on the Passion of Christ. Read the Bible. If you don’t know where to start, consider using the free subscription to Formed.org (just sign up as a parishioner, then enter the Marlboro ZIP code, and our parish name will appear). This site offers a wealth of resources, from audiobooks to movies about saints, meditations, and even content for children.


The second temptation in Matthew’s Gospel is idolatry. I once heard a definition of idolatry that helped me understand it better: “Idolatry is anything outside of God where we seek happiness.” This could be affection from family members, money, possessions, sports, drinking, or anything else. The devil tries to deceive us, offering to fill what’s missing in our lives and make us happy. But Christ responds that only God is worthy of our worship and adoration. We, too, are invited to adore the Lord. Starting this week, we will have daily adoration — from 6:30-7:30 AM in the Lower Church and 6:00pm-7:00 PM in the Upper Church. God wants to give you what will truly make you happy — Himself. After adoration, we will also offer talks and confession from 7:00pm-8:00 PM in the Upper Church on Wednesdays.


In the third temptation, the devil tries to convince Jesus that He could be different from the way God made Him. He could achieve fame and power instantly, but Jesus chooses to remain faithful to God’s plan for His life. He puts God first, accepting the fragility of His own earthly existence. We, too, can follow Jesus by putting God first in our lives. One way to do this is through almsgiving. Almsgiving isn’t just about giving away spare change; it’s about choosing God over worldly comforts. For instance, instead of buying that coffee, you could give the money away to someone in need. Here in Marlboro, many people are struggling, and we’re giving out piggy banks this weekend at church to help you collect money for those in need. All the proceeds will go to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP), which desperately needs support to provide for those suffering. Almsgiving can also involve giving your time and talent. Consider greeting people at church or reaching out to others in your life. Take time to pray for them. Let us all choose to put love of God and our neighbor as top priority in our lives. Lastly, I encourage you to participate in our Trilingual Bingo on Saturday, March 22nd. It will be a wonderful opportunity for the whole parish to come together and show love for one another.


Let’s make this Lenten season a time of deep transformation as we draw closer to the Lord.



God Bless,

Fr. Steven

 

From Father Steven - June 7, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • June 5, 2026
Car Show, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope that this title hasn’t confused your minds! How is it possible that we can put all these three things together? Very simply, those are our hidden treasures that once a year they are celebrated. Every year I have always walked down the street to the corner of Prospect and Main St. to take a peek at the cars. Last year however, after all the masses, I adventured to look at all the cars. It is amazing how cool and awesome it was. But it is also “sad” that we don’t get to see them that often riding on the streets. Some of the cars are true hidden gems that are probably guarded very safely somewhere away from the curious eyes. The same can be said about our Celebration of The Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). Those are true gems that often are not seen/spoken about. This week we will be celebrating the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi. In the old days we celebrated it on Thursday after Trinity Sunday, but here in the States it has moved to Sunday. For almost 1000 years, the Church has always celebrated this day with a procession with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets around the churches. Even before the Reformation, the Church has always believed and affirmed that “By the consecration, the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: His Body and His Blood, with His soul and His divinity” (CCC 1413 quoting the Council of Trent). Unfortunately, many people nowadays do not believe in the real presence of Christ on the Eucharist. In spite of many miracles around the world and even recently, where the consecrated host became the tissue of a human heart, and the consecrated wine became real human blood, people refuse to believe in it. Recent studies have shown that even a major number of Catholics (including practicing Catholics) do not believe that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist, but it’s a mere representation of him. St. Alphonsus Liguori writes in a great reflection book titled Visits to the Blessed Sacrament , “Loving souls can find no greater delight than to be in the company of those whom they love. If we, then, love Jesus Christ much, behold we are now in his presence…let us console ourselves in his company; let us rejoice in his glory and in the love in which so many enamored souls bear him in the Most Blessed Sacrament.” We are called first of all to be close to Jesus under the sacramental species, not only when he is present inside the tabernacle, but above all when he is exposed. We will have the special grace to do our own Eucharistic Procession here in the Parish. Some parishioners will be working from the early hours of Sunday creating a sawdust carpet with holy images on Prospect St., which will be closed on Sunday. After the trilingual Mass at 11am (rain or shine) all three communities will gather for a procession through downtown Marlboro. It will be our time to take our greatest gem out “from hiding” and show it to everyone!!!! Last year we had a great attendance, and I invite you to reach out to family and friends and invite them to celebrate this awesome event with us! Finally, as I mentioned before, mark on your calendars the National Eucharistic Procession that will pass through Boston as part of the 250 th of the birth of our Country. There will be events on June 26-28 in Plymouth, Freedom Trail and Lexington. God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - May 31, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • May 29, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This year our nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence. Many celebrations have been taking place throughout these past months and will continue in the months ahead. The Catholic Church is also organizing events to mark this important milestone. A National Eucharistic Pilgrimage began in St. Augustine, Florida, and will travel through several cities significant to the history of the United States. Boston will host three days of the National Pilgrimage. On Friday, June 26, there will be celebrations in Plymouth. On the following day, there will be a Eucharistic Procession along the Freedom Trail, beginning at Boston Common at 10:00 a.m., followed by Mass at 4:30 p.m. at the Cathedral. On the final day, there will be Mass, Adoration, and a procession in Lexington. We would like to organize a group from the parish to participate in some of these events. We will publish more information at a later date, but you may also find details online. Another important event will take place on Friday, June 12 . All the bishops of the United States have decided to dedicate our country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Following their call and the encouragement of our Archbishop, we will also consecrate our parish and ourselves to the Sacred Heart. To prepare ourselves for this consecration, we will pray the Novena to the Sacred Heart in all three languages. We will pray the first day together on Wednesday, June 3 , after Benediction at 7:00 p.m. (The novena prayers will be available at the entrances of the church beginning this weekend.) We will conclude the novena and make the Act of Consecration on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday, June 12 , also at 7:00 p.m. It will be similar to the consecration to Mary that we made last December. Although many people have seen the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—such as the statue to the left of the main altar—some may not be familiar with the devotion itself. In 1673, during a time when the world had grown cold and had forgotten the tenderness and mercy of Christ’s love, Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque on the feast of St. John in Paray-le-Monial, France. He revealed to her His Heart burning with love for humanity. In these visions, Jesus asked her to spread devotion to His Sacred Heart and instructed her on how the devotion should be practiced. The devotion as we know it today is largely based on these revelations to St. Margaret Mary. Jesus’ profound love for us is demonstrated through His willingness to sacrifice His life for our sake. The love flowing from His Heart motivated all His actions—His inner life manifested in His virtues, compassion, and sacrifice. Yet this great love is often met with indifference and ingratitude, even among the faithful. The purpose of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is to focus our hearts on receiving and returning His love with gratitude—with all our heart, soul, and strength—so that He may be glorified. From a theological perspective, consecration is not considered magic, protection from all hardship, or a guarantee of prosperity. Rather, its purpose is surrender, transformation, and the alignment of our lives with Christ’s love by becoming more patient, forgiving, compassionate, and self-giving toward others. On a different note, NEXT SUNDAY we will celebrate our annual trilingual Corpus Christi Mass at 11:00 a.m. There will be no 9:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. Mass that day. We will gather outdoors in the parking lot—rain or shine—to celebrate the greatest gift: the true Body and Blood of Christ. After Mass, we will process with the Blessed Sacrament through downtown Marlborough, singing and praising God. This year the procession will coincide with the car show, so please plan ahead and arrive early to find parking. Hopefully, as in past years, we will have a large crowd. If there are volunteers who would like to help with the sawdust carpet, please arrive around sunrise. God Bless you all, Fr. Steven