A Message from Father Nathan
My dearest people who are all close to my heart
Lots of love, blessings, and prayers to you all.
Understanding The Lent discipline of Fasting…
Let us try to understand. First, all Catholics are called to fast for at least two important dates. One is Ash Wednesday and the other is Good Friday. Let us try to understand the details. Fasting, prayer, and helping the poor are the three spiritual disciplines of Lent.
How to Fast for Lent
Images Courtesy of St Joan of Arc Catholic Church Hershey, PA
Why Fasting
Prayer, fasting and giving work as a three-fold conversion practice as we prepare for the joys of the Easter season. Fasting adds a serious edge to your prayer life. It is a prayer practice that involves denying yourself something in order to increase your spiritual awareness, strengthen a commitment, or petition God for something you or another person needs.
Fasting is also about detachment – separating yourself from something that you have become overly attached to. It’s a way of reclaiming your spiritual strength and regaining some balance in your life.
Practicing some denial of our wants and needs in small ways can help us grow in self-discipline and the ability to put off momentary comfort for a larger more important goal.
Fasting should not be misused to gain praise or sympathy, to manipulate, or to harmfully affect the body. Done correctly, it can be a spiritual practice that can take your prayer to a new and different level! It is all about you and your relationship with God.
Who Should Fast
Lenten Fasting
Catholics ages 14 or older do not eat meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent, including Good Friday. Instead of meat, many Catholics choose to eat fish – which is why many parishes around the country have fish fries on Fridays during Lent. These are great opportunities for a parish community to come together to pray and fast.
On Ash Wednesday and Good Fridays, Catholics aged 18-59 also limit the amount of food they eat. The exemption is allowed for pregnant women and those who need regular meals for medical reasons.
May you all have a meaningful and spirit-filled Lent
Please continue to pray for me. I continue to hold you in my prayers.
God bless you all.
With lots of love and blessing.
Ever wanting to be faithful to your service.
—Fr. Sahayanathan Nathan
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Past Messages from Father Nathan
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | March 1, 2026
St Gabriel will celebrate 60 years of serving our Community in 2027. We will kick off the celebration with the blessing for the new tower construction and Mass with Auxiliary Bishop Enrique.
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | February 22, 2026
Lent has begun. Let us make use of this season to go deeper in our understanding of His love, to make reparations for our sins, and relish His love. St Gabriel celebrates its Golden Jubilee—60th anniversary of the establishment of our parish.
Save the Date for a Special Mass Tuesday, March 224th (2026) kickstarts the Jubilee with the solemn Mass of the bishop
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | February 15, 2026
ABCD 2026 Kickoff: Together – Do Good. Seek Peace. Is the theme of the 2026 campaign, one of the most important fundraisers for the Archdiocese of Miami. We will be launching ABCD this week. This year, our target for our parish is $122,184. Last year, because of your collaboration and cooperation, we were able to achieve our target. I will like to thank each and every one of you who participated in that endeavor. It’s the Archdiocesan vital fundraiser, and of course, it is possible only if we, the parish units, actively participate…
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 25, 2026
ABCD 2026 Kickoff: Together – Do Good. Seek Peace. Is the theme of the 2026 campaign, one of the most important fundraisers for the Archdiocese of Miami. We will be launching ABCD this week. This year, our target for our parish is $122,184. Last year, because of your collaboration and cooperation, we were able to achieve our target. I will like to thank each and every one of you who participated in that endeavor. It’s the Archdiocesan vital fundraiser, and of course, it is possible only if we, the parish units, actively participate…
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 11, 2026
ABCD 2026 Kickoff: Together – Do Good. Seek Peace. Is the theme of the 2026 campaign, one of the most important fundraisers for the Archdiocese of Miami. We will be launching ABCD this week. This year, our target for our parish is $122,184. Last year, because of your collaboration and cooperation, we were able to achieve our target. I will like to thank each and every one of you who participated in that endeavor. It’s the Archdiocesan vital fundraiser, and of course, it is possible only if we, the parish units, actively participate…
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 04, 2026
New Year’s Blessing: May the Lord bless you with renewed hope, deep peace, good health, and abundant grace in the year ahead. May God grant you strength in challenges, joy in daily life, and His guiding light in all that you do.