When we contemplate the idea of a Lenten fast it can be a little bit scary. I can't tell you how many times over the past two days I have heard, "Tucker I don't want to fast because I love this or I love that." It's okay to have this thought, I have it all of the time. Some of the things I am giving up this year are YouTube, Tv, and Social media. If you are anything like me you probably know how hard that is going to be. I have thought about changing it up so it is a little bit easier but when I think about it more deeply I realize that fasting is not supposed to be enjoyable. Right after Jesus came out of the desert after fasting for forty days, he talked about being hungry. This is a great example of Jesus' humanity. We are also hungering for something. We are looking to fill a deep void in our lives. That is why we fill so much of our time with things like social media and video games. We are looking for things that will give us immediate satisfaction. God promises us fulfillment but his fulfillment does not come as fast as the things that the world offers. The only catch the things that the world offers are not eternal, but what God offers are. This is one way that he teaches us patience. Think about the fast before the celebration of the Eucharist. If you were not aware we are called to fast from food and drink (besides water and medicine) before consuming the Eucharist. We are called to go farther and fast from things that we hear and even smell. Things like having lots of conversations and listening to music. I remember my mom telling me that when she was younger she wasn't even able to chew gum an hour before mass. But why do we fast? Why is this such a vital part of our spiritual life? The answer is simple. God wants us to hunger for him. In his word, and in his Eucharist. If we abstain from eating we tend to get hungry. That hunger can be fulfilled with his word and the Eucharist. The same goes for fasting for Lent. Instead of having our lives filled with a bunch of worldly things, we can take these forty days to center our lives toward Christ. Take what I gave up for example. If I tend to fill my empty time with YouTube and Social media, but I can't use those things, what am I going to fill my time with? If I am smart and have the grace of God, I can take that time to focus on God, or even focus on doing things to be a better minister of the Gospel! --
God Bless,