From Father Steven - November 10, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • November 8, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

 

We all have heard the saying, “we are what we eat.” Although this phrase was coined about 200 years ago, it still holds true today. In a world saturated with digital content, we are shaped not only by the food we consume but also by the information we take in. This begs the question: what kind of material are we bringing into our lives? How does our time balance between work, family, social media, and our relationship with God?

 

Recently, while speaking to a group of young adults, I was struck by the sheer amount of time they admitted to spending on their phones. Whether it’s for work, social media, games, watching series, or other forms of entertainment, it quickly adds up. One of the group members commented, “Imagine what we could do with all that time if it were used for the right things.” We all laughed, but the comment really made me think. It’s true! Think about all those hours spent passively consuming: behind screens, watching TV, mindlessly scrolling through social media, or doing other activities that don’t really add value to our lives. Surely it is important to have some recreation time, but it can’t be too much! Imagine if we were to dedicate that time to reading books, we would be so much more knowledgeable. If we were to help other people, we would become so much more generous. Now imagine if we dedicated all that time towards God! Whether studying the bible (or just reading it), praying the rosary daily, immersing ourselves in the lives of the saints. Imagine attending daily Mass or simply visiting the Blessed Sacrament – how profoundly different our lives would be! If we are to spend eternity with God, should we not be preparing ourselves actively for heaven a bit more? Sometimes we can settle for so little, when the Lord wants to give us so much!!! It is true that there are other important tasks to be done daily, but why is prayer and God not our top priorities?

 

I often tell the youth that there are 1,440 minutes in a day. How much do we dedicate to God? If we were to pray for 2 hours daily, that would be only less than 10% of our day. However, if we pray 14 minutes, that is actually 1%...I believe that Jesus needs more than that. Actually, WE are the ones that need more than that. Surely that 2 hours straight can be a lot, but if we spread through the day, it would not be too much. If I were to tell you that this year you will eat almost 2,000 pounds of food, you would say that is impossible. Even to think that we consume an average of 4.5 pounds a day is a lot. However, slowly as we eat here and there, we get to that amount. The same is with prayer.

 

We are what we eat, and in the same way, we are what we consume in terms of information and time. Just as we need to be mindful of what we put into our bodies, we must also be careful about what we expose ourselves to and how we spend our time. The people around you need you, whether family, friends, or neighbors. We also need God and our holy friends (the saints). Therefore, I invite you to reconsider some of your agenda. Let us give our priorities to God and His will. As the Gospel invites us this weekend, let us give Him our all!!! Like the two widows who gave all they had, and they were not lacking, let us do the same. We have some incredible opportunities coming up! Every day we have Adoration 6:30-7:30am in the lower church. Daily Mass is 7:30-8:00am every single day (we have a no-cancellation policy). The Church is open every day from 6:00am-6:00pm. This Sunday November 10th we have 24Hr Adoration starting at 6:00pm until 6:00pm on Monday. This Tuesday we have a Sacred Music Concert by Harpa Dei at 7:00pm (Mass and Adoration). On Wednesday our Senior Group (which is open to all adults who want to participate) will be meeting for the first time 10:00am-12:00pm. On Formed.org there are some great contents to watch/listen to help you. In a few weeks we have the Night of Praise and Thanksgiving on November 21st. As we feed our bodies properly, let us also feed our souls with good stuff!!!

 

Finally, as we approach Veteran’s Day this week, I want to take a moment to thank all our brothers and sisters who have made countless sacrifices while serving our country. May God bless you a hundredfold for your generosity. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

 

From Father Steven - February 22, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • February 20, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, We begin this holy and wonderful time of Lent with the image of the desert, as we will hear in the Gospel. The time of Lent is like a desert, or like the exodus of the people of Israel passing from the slavery of Egypt to the freedom of the Promised Land. The image of the desert is very important for the people of Israel. In the Scriptures, it is a privileged place to meet the Lord. There is no food, no comfort, no distraction—only sand and more sand. It is in the desert that God reveals Himself. He speaks to the people. In the Hebrew tradition, it is in the desert that God marries His people. In our daily lives, we get lost with so many worries, projections, and expectations. In the desert there is nothing. We are forced to depend on God, even though we do not like to depend on others. We prefer to be independent. There, either you trust God, or you die. In this strange place, God provides food (manna and quails), shelter (the cloud that accompanied the people), and water (from the rock). As in marriage the couple becomes one, so it is with the Lord, who wants to be one with us. The time of Lent is a spiritual desert. We do not eat meat on Fridays, we fast, we abstain from electronics, we give up activities that we like, we become poor by giving alms—and only then can we see God more clearly. However, if we do not empty ourselves this Lent, we will not see the Lord, much less listen to Him. Like the people of Israel, we will be circling around for a long time. We began Lent with the imposition of ashes. We were reminded that we are dust and that we need to convert. Through vices, sins, and bad habits, we are not as free as God wants us to be. At times we do things only to please others, out of social pressure, or to keep up an image. In this way (and in other ways), we are enslaved in order to fit in. We are incapable of loving with 100% of our hearts. This Lent, God wants to make the journey of exodus with us. For that, we need to begin in Egypt. As Moses listened to God and did His will, so we are called to do the same. Therefore, we will need to silence the noise and the distractions around us. Like in the episode of the burning bush, we are called to draw closer to the Lord and “see the marvelous sight.” That is called prayer. It is not a matter of only reciting words; it is a dialogue with God. Which means that as we speak, we also need to listen. Today, no one teaches us how to contemplate what God is doing in our lives. Stop for 20 minutes each day and think or contemplate what graces you have received recently, what difficulties God has helped you overcome through these years. What is going to be the next step on your journey? In which direction is God pointing you? What will be your next mission? Unless we stop and simply listen to Him, we will be deceived by our own thoughts and by temptations, like Adam and Eve. We will also have a great opportunity to listen to Him during the one-day Lenten Mission that Sister Olga will lead for us on February 28th. She is a very inspired woman. It is a great privilege for us to be able to host her. It will be free, but we do ask you to register so that we can have an idea of how many people will attend. That morning, she will also have a special time with the women. Do not miss this opportunity. Last but not least, like last year, we will be giving out Lenten boxes to help us give alms. As Jesus says, “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” All the money collected will be given to St. Vincent de Paul to help the poor of the parish and of the city of Marlboro. Additionally, if you give up coffee or soda during Lent, put in the box the money that you are not spending. Be aware that there are a lot of people who need help, more than ever. So if you would like to make an additional contribution, you can use the poor boxes located at the exit of the church. May the Lord assist you in this holy campaign of Christian service as we take up the battle against spiritual evils, and may we be armed with the weapons of self-restraint. God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - February 15, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • February 13, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, We all know that God is love and that He does everything to help us attain salvation. However, we are not always aware of the graces He has prepared for us. At other times, we do not take advantage of the opportunities when they are offered to us. This week, I would like to briefly highlight some special opportunities that will be given to us in the coming days. This Sunday, after the 11:00am Mass, we will offer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick for those who need it. For a long time, it was known as the Last Rites or Extreme Unction. Therefore, it still carries the taboo that only those who are dying should receive this sacrament. The Rite of Anointing tells us that there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. As its name indicates, this sacrament is for those who are facing serious illness, undergoing surgery, or experiencing the frailty of old age. When the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is given, we pray that, if it be God’s will, the person may be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is spiritual healing, by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age. It is very important for those who are facing something serious to receive the grace of the sacrament in order to be helped by God. Therefore, we urge anyone who needs it to ask for the sacrament. If you know someone who is in a nursing home, they should also receive the sacrament while conscious in order to be helped by God. Unfortunately, sometimes people wait until it is too late. This Sunday, after the 11:00am Mass, we will have a small celebration for anyone who needs the sacrament. It can also be scheduled by calling the office. From Sunday to Monday, we will have the opportunity to spend time with Jesus during 24 hours of adoration. Considering that Monday is a holiday, it is a special moment to slow down our lives and recharge the battery of our soul. This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. There will be other opportunities to continue receiving God’s grace, such as praying the Stations of the Cross on Fridays. Next weekend we will be holding a retreat for couples to help and sanctify their relationship. Do not miss it. Finally, on Saturday, 2/28, Sister Olga will be leading us in a Lenten Parish Mission from 12:30–2:00pm. Finally, I would like to touch very briefly on something that I will later dedicate more time to expanding upon. In this week’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about adultery as when a person who was married before, and after a divorce marries another person. This is different from separation. The promise made before God is to be faithful in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, all the days of one’s life. Therefore, that promise cannot be broken until death. If there are problems that lead to a separation, there are still ways to live a holy life. We have prepared a team to assist couples who would like to begin the process of nullity of their marriage. Soon, I will write a bulletin letter with details about what it is and what it is not, and set up a meeting to explain it better. I also take this opportunity to encourage anyone who has not received the Sacrament of Marriage (who was not married in the Church) to do so. It can be a very simple process to receive an immense grace!  Let us not pass up these opportunities to receive God’s grace. He walks with us every step of the way and sustains and strengthens us with the Sacraments and through the love and concern of the Church. He also respects our free will. If we are not open to grace or simply refuse it, then there is very little He can do. He will never give up on us! Let us not give up on Him either! God Bless, Fr. Steven