From the Desk of Father Nathan

St Gabriel Catholic Church | Pompano Beach

A Message from Father Nathan

My dearest people closest to my heart!

God bless you and your generous heart.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – September 14th

This weekend we are going to celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This feast is celebrated every year on September 14th and recalls three historical events:

1. 1. The finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine
  2. The dedication of churches built by Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulcher and Mount Calvary
  3. The restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem by the emperor Heraclius II.

Celebrate the Cross as the instrument of our Salvation

But in a deeper sense, the feast also celebrates the Holy Cross as the instrument of our salvation. This instrument or torture, designed to degrade the worst of criminals, became the life-giving tree that reversed Adam’s Original Sin when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote,

“it is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event.”

The Gospel the liturgy offers us on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross suggests that God wants to enter into a relationship of love with everyone. This is offered in His Son, Jesus, lifted up on the Cross. Lifting up our gaze to God expresses a very important truth.

We are invited to enter back into a relationship with Him. We need to stop turning in on ourselves, uselessly nurturing a sense of guilt, and forgetting that

“in whatever our hearts condemn, God is greatere than our hearts” (1 Jn 3:20).

Let us lift up our eyes toward the stars (remember Abraham and the promise of many descendants), knowing how to cast every worry onto God. Lifting up our gaze should not enkindle fear, but gratitude, because that elevation is the measure of the love with which God loves His children, in His Son. It is the Mercy of God, therefore, which, as is the case with Nicodemus, illuminates the darkness of our lives and allows us to continue on our journey.

We cannot remain neutral regarding the Cross of Jesus.

Either we are with Him or we are against Him. A choice is made before every action, for the actions of a Christian are none other than the testimony of how “God loves us so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus

With lots of love and blessings.

Ever wanting to be faithful to your service,

— Fr. Sahayanathan Nathan