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 Season of Advent
This week Marks the beginning of Advent — a time of spiritual preparation for the coming birth of Christ.
This week we will begin our Advent Season. This liturgical season of Advent marks the time of spiritual preparation by the faithful before the celebration of Christmas. Advent comes from the Latin word meaning “coming”. Jesus is coming!
Preparation For the Birth of Christ
Advent is intended to be a season of preparation for His arrival. While we typically regard Advent as a joyous season, it is also designed to be a period of preparation, much like Lent. Prayer, penance, and fasting are appropriate during this season.
What is Advent?
The celebration of Advent is evolved in the spiritual life of the Church. The historical origins of Advent are hard to determine with great precision. Advent is not as strict as Lent, and there are no rules for fasting, but it is meant to be a period of preparation. The purple color associated with Advent is also the color of penance. A good pious way to help us in our Advent preparation has been the use of the Advent wreath. The wreath is a circle with no beginning or end – so we call to mind how our lives are here and now, participate in the eternity of God’s plan of salvation, and how we hope to share eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The wreath is made of fresh plant material because Christ came to give us new life through His passion, death, and resurrection. Three candles are purple, symbolizing penance, preparation, and sacrifice, the pink candle symbolizes the same but highlights the third Sunday of Advent: Gaudete Sunday. On this Sunday we rejoice because our preparation is now halfway finished. The light represents Christ, who entered this world to shatter the darkness of evil and show us the way of righteousness.
May you and your family have a meaningful and profound experience of Christ in this season.
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 | January 02, 2022
Happy New Year 2022! May God bless us in his mercy. Today we celebrate The Epiphany of the Lord. Blessings for a healthy and prosperous New Year
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | December 26, 2021
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Our family life becomes sanctified when we live the life of the Church within our homes – called “domestic church”
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | December 19, 2021
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David the Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | December 12, 2021
St Gabriel Parish welcomes you to celebrate Christmas. Join us for a retreat Dec 13- 14, Christmas Novenas daily 16-24th & a concert Dec 19
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | November 14, 2021
I am extremely glad to witness a lot of our winter parishioners who are coming back again to the parish upon their return to Florida! I fee extremely delighted and happy to see your faces without a mask. As I mentioned doing the weekend Masses please continue to be safe and take good care of
yourself.
From The Desk Of Father Nathan | October 21, 2021
All Saint’s Day is a solemn holy day in the Catholic Church celebrated annually on November 1st to honor all the saints, known and unknown.