From the Desk of Father Nathan

St Gabriel Catholic Church | Pompano Beach
God Bless You All

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 | February 14, 2021

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | February 14, 2021

Ash Wednesday | The Beginning of Lent
“Repent and believe in the Gospel” is the captivating sentence as we begin the holy season of Lent. For any Roman Catholic Church, the suffering the death of Christ is the mystery of our faith. Our faith revolves around this.

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From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 31, 2021

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 31, 2021

Thoughts on healing a broken heart… Thank you for your love and care. It’s the greatest and warming feeling that one is being loved, we hear that Christ longed for this acceptance from His people when he lived here in His time.

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Special Message from Father Nathan | January 24, 2021

Special Message from Father Nathan | January 24, 2021

Thank you for your kindness, love, support and above all your valuable prayers. To me, as like all of you, family means a lot to me. We are united ONLY WITH LOVE. I always feel the LOVE VIBRATION in my family. I feel so BLESSED about my family as I feel with you all.

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From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 24, 2021

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 24, 2021

Together, We Are the Church. A universal body of believers, delivering God’s message of hope and love to everyone, everywhere. Your generosity to the Archbishop’s Charity and Development Drive, ABCD, serves the Church so that the Church can serve you.

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From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 17, 2021

From The Desk Of Father Nathan | January 17, 2021

Together, We Are the Church. A universal body of believers, delivering God’s message of hope and love to everyone, everywhere. Your generosity to the Archbishop’s Charity and Development Drive, ABCD, serves the Church so that the Church can serve you.

read more