From the Desk of Father Nathan

St Gabriel Catholic Church | Pompano Beach

A Message from Father Nathan

My dearest people who are all close to my heart!

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

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.

Solemnity of All Saints

The Solemnity of All Saints commemorates all those holy men, women, children, martyrs, confessors, and those unknown to others who lived lives with such holiness that upon death they either entered directly into God’s presence in heaven or duly purified their souls of every imperfection in purgatory before then advancing into His presence.

All-Star saints such as St. Augustine and St. Francis of Assisi stand shoulder to shoulder in heaven with forgotten grandmas, quiet uncles, and unknown martyrs. These unrecognized, but holy souls, did not convert entire tribes, found religious communities, or have their bones crushed by the jaws of lions in the arena. The dense population of heaven is unknown to us on earth, but not to God, the audience of one, we should most desire to please.

There are as many pathways to God as there are people since God wants to make a project of each and every one of us. All the saints lived heroic lives in their own unique ways. Today, we commemorate those silent and sturdy ones who, without cease and without complaint, buttressed the family, the marriage, the parish, the Church, the community, and the faith.

Among the communion of saints are some few illustrious citizens whose virtues sparkle on their special days. But today, we honor, remember and seek to imitate that broader population of heaven never raised to the public altars but who offered their lives in quiet ways to God. They received the Body of Christ and lived His teachings in an exemplary manner in season and out of season until all seasons converged and God called them back to Himself.

All Souls Day

All Souls Day, is a holy day set aside for honoring the dead. The day is primarily celebrated in the Catholic Church. According to Catholic belief, the soul of a person who dies can go to three places. The first is heaven when a person dies in a state of perfect grace and communion with God. The second is hell, where those who die in a state of mortal sin are naturally condemned by choice. Third, is purgatory is necessary so that the souls can be cleansed and perfected before they enter heaven.

God bless you all.

With lots of love and blessing.

Ever wanting to be faithful to your service.

—Fr. Sahayanathan Nathan