Our human nature is one where there is something missing. Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, our lives have been missing that deep, intimate, and personal connection with God the Father. We have been separated from Him through our sin. Our lives are filled with the pursuit of filling that gap in our lives. Everyone is pursuing something to fill that gap. The question is, what are you trying to fill that gap in your life with?
Many people try to fill that gap with things of this world. They pursue power, money, and personal gratification. They are concerned with status and the respect of others. Imagine digging a hole, a gap, in the ground. Now imagine filling that “gap” with water. You can probably fill it up, but it won’t stay filled. Eventually the water will seep into the ground, and you will be left with the need to fill it again. Filling the gap in your life with things of the world is like trying to fill the gap in the ground with water. You can fill your life up with money, power, status, and personal gratification, but eventually the satisfaction you feel from those things will fade. It will seep into the soil and you will be left wanting once again.
Now imagine filling that hole in the ground with concrete. That concrete will not seep into the ground, but it will form a hard, firm, solid foundation. Filling the gap in the ground with concrete is like filling your life with faith in Christ. The more your fill you life with faith, the harder the foundation will become. You will never be left wanting if you fill your life with Christ.
The pursuit of filling the gap in our lives is the pursuit of faith. Many of us don’t see that day to day. I know I try to fill the gap in my life with things of this world. We all need something in our lives to remind us that the gap in our lives needs to be filled with faith, not the things of this world. That is where fasting comes in. I know, I know. We’re no where near Lent. So, why am I talking about fasting? Because fasting is a good practice year round, not just during Lent.
We fast because we want to remind ourselves of the gap in our lives. We intentionally create physical a gap in our lives so that we can remember to fill the spiritual gap. We should fast year round, not just during Lent. It is a necessary component of our faith journey. I’m not saying you should stop eating for a whole day. If you can do that, then great! But your fast does not have to be that dramatic. It just needs to be enough to remind you that you need to fill a gap in your life.
My wife and I like to spend time on the computer. She enjoys playing on Facebook and reading blogs of other homeschool moms. I enjoy playing games. We had let that computer time take over our lives. Last Saturday we made a promise to each other. We promised that neither one of us would play on the computer when we were both home for an entire week. We decided to fast from the computer. This self-sacrifice has allowed us to fill a gap in our marriage. We spent more time talking to each other this week. We spent more time just enjoying each other’s company. I haven’t talked to her about it yet, but I would like to make this “computer fast” a permanent thing in our house.
Taking the time and energy to fast is an important component of our Catholic faith. It is not meant to be reserved for Lent alone. We need to fill the gap in our lives with faith in Christ. We need to fast to remind ourselves of that gap.
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[LinkedIn]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[Reddit]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Nicely done, Tim. I like the way you explain the “gap”.
Along with praying and alms-giving, fasting is one of the “musts” that Christ develops in His Sermon on the Mount (see Mt 6:16-18). In explaining how we to fast, Jesus signifies the necessity of regular practice (“when you fast” as opposed to “if you fast”). I would suggest once a week or – at minimum – once a month.
Another good practice is to abstain from meat every Friday. Nothing reminds you of God on Friday as much as a street-vendor hot dog or the neighbor’s sizzling barbecue!
I believe that fasting from the material, ie, food, computers, restaurants allows our soul to have dominion over the flesh thereby allowing us to connect more so with God. In giving up you gain power!
thanks
"I like the way you explain the “gap”."
Yes, I may use your gap idea in my catechism class.