From the Desk of Father Nathan

A Message from Father Nathan

My dearest people who are all close to my heart!

Lots of love, blessings, and prayers to you all.

The Importance of Attending Mass and Receiving the Eucharist

Attending Mass is our Loving Response to a Loving God and the Sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ

Guidance to the faithful regarding the obligation of Mass.

Recently, the Church shared its guidance to the faithful regarding the obligation of Mass. I thought I would pen a few lines about the greatest love of Christ—THE HOLY MASS. Jesus instituted the Mass at the Last Supper before His Crucifixion. Hence the Eucharist is the Divine Liturgy. There is no other sacrifice worthy of this name except the one sacrifice that Jesus offered on the cross.

Hebrews 10:12 says that Christ

“offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins”.

The Mass is a re-presentation of the ONE sacrifice of the cross. The Last Supper is the first Mass. When we celebrate Mass, we repeat the Last Supper, as Jesus commanded us to do. In doing this, we remember and re-present his great act of love for us on the Cross –the Eucharist.

The power of Calvary is now taking place: the sacrifice that takes away sins, heals, and transforms – becomes present and available to us. When we go to Mass, we are mysteriously present a the foot of the cross, watching the Savior give his life for us.

It’s all about love, sacrifice, and grace

It allows us to offer our praise and thanksgiving for our redemption. We have Mass to worship and to receive God’s grace, to unify with him and with other worshipers through the sacrament of the Eucharist. As a sacrament, it is that Jesus Himself is acting through the Eucharist, and supplies all the graces we derive from it. We are filled with Jesus Christ’s love for our lives. We develop our faith and glorify God. We receive God’s help and healing.

Above all, it nourishes and strengthens us to love and serve the Lord and one another. At today’s Mass, we are able to stand mystically at the foot of the cross and witness for ourselves the same self-sacrifice of Jesus, in an unbloody manner. The Mass is first of all – a sacrifice- the perfect sacrifice, created by Jesus. In order to maintain the flow of worship. We are called to actively participate. Our salvation is not a one-time deal where we make a promise to God at one point in our lives. Life is a process so is our salvation. Let us come together as a community and worship Christ’s love for us live by His sacrificial love.

Let Us pray for Peace among nations

Let us, on these days of Holy Lent pray for peace among nations. I don’t want to go into the politics of what’s going on now.

But, the life of ordinary people who have the right and want to live a peaceful life, their life is disturbed, bothered and hence they are in tension. Let us pray for the end of war and for peace in our world of worlds! Let us pray that the leaders understand their role and responsibility and allow people to live in harmony.

As we pray for the end of war, let us also pray for ourselves that our hearts will be freed from envy, grudges, jealousy, and hatred, and may it be replaced with peace and happiness.

God bless you all.

With lots of love and blessing.

Ever at your service.

—Fr. Sahayanathan Nathan