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 | November 13, 2022
Mass is the source of the Summit of all our prayers. Mass should be an extension of our life. Life should be an extension of our Mass. Mass is our source of strength for our life. Mass iswhat keeps the Church moving and holy…
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | November 06, 2022
Meet our New Maintenance Man + surveillance camera project update. We have a new maintenance man here at the parish. He is still on his orientation and acclimating day by day. His name is Rodger. He is being taught all the necessary things about the church and its…
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | October 30, 2022
This week, we have two important feasts that we are going to celebrate. One would be the Solemnity of All Saints and the second ALL Souls Day. Let us try to understand what these feasts mean to us.
The Solemnity of All Saints commemorates all those holy men, women, children, martyrs,…
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | October 23, 2022
Important updates and information for the upcoming holiday season and welcoming our seasonal parishioners back to their Florida homes and the 2023 Pilgrimage tot he Holy Land.
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | October 16, 2022
Parish Improvements update. Very many supported this in ten thousand, two thousand, thousands, and fifty dollar donations….every amount helps
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | October 09, 2022
We celebrate the Feast of Saint Teresa of Avila. The daughter of a Jewish convert and his second wife, Saint Teresa of Avila, was born on March 28, 1515.