God's love

God is charity

THE LOVE OF GOD IS A FIRE THAT BURNS

God's love is often represented as energy or as burning fire. Saint Philip Neri speaks of such ardor that in contact with that very lively flame, his heart suddenly dilated, arching two ribs of the chest. Here is his story: «a ball of fire appeared to me which entered my chest through my mouth and I felt seized by a strong fire of love that, unable to tolerate it, I fell to the ground seeking relief.

I was left with a palpitation that produced such great heat throughout my body that even in winter I was forced to cool myself by untying my clothes and opening the windows, and even when I walked through the streets I always kept my dress open from the waist up to the neck."

Blessed Angela da Foligno also described how God's embrace releases a fire, thanks to which the soul burns entirely in Christ and generates such a living light, through which the great fullness of God's goodness is understood. In his mystical raptures understood how profound union with God is not a utopia, but a possibility prevented only by sin.

Jeremiah goes so far as to assert: «If I say “I will no longer mention him, I will no longer speak in his name”, there is in my heart like a burning fire, closed in my bones; I try to contain it, but I can't."
(Jer 20.9).

«He hurled fire from above and sent it down into my bones; he spread a net at my feet, he threw me to the ground; he has cast me into desolation, into endless languishing"
(Lam 1:13).

«Suddenly there was a noise from the sky, as if a violent wind was breaking in and filled the entire house they were in. There appeared to them tongues as of fire which were divided and which came to rest on each of them"
(Acts 2:2-3).

In these biblical passages, fire appears as an element of manifestation of God. God uses this image to manifest his glory, his presence, and the immense strength of His Love, a mysterious and unapproachable force that expresses the Omnipotence of God same. This is the force that guides our steps on the journey of faith. The experience of the disciples of Emmaus is still repeated in our daily encounter with God, who becomes a companion on the journey and makes the heart of every believer burn with renewed hope in that promised happiness.

The Love of God is similar to a flame which anyone who approaches produces ardor; for us human beings, if not protected, this Love could prove unsustainable. The ability to sustain this strength is directly proportional to the spirituality achieved in our humanity, that is, after having defeated sin in the flesh. If this is the case, we can therefore imagine what can happen when our earthly time comes to an end and our soul is thrown into the world of the eternal, where everything is in God.

Those who have followed the paths indicated by God and have spiritualized themselves will be like metal, they will not fear the power of God's Love and, like metal subjected to an increase in temperature, the color of the light emitted changes (from orange to yellow, to dazzling white), these too, although immersed in this flame, will be like gold melted in the crucible, they will be purified and will be resplendent in God.

Those, however, who have allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by sins and passions, will be similar to paper which burns and deteriorates in contact with fire. Their spirit will be burned, but it will not be able to die: it will be gripped by atrocious suffering because it will not be able to find, in the entire universe, a place to protect itself or hide from the burning force of God's Love. Hell is also described in the sacred texts like a flame that burns and never goes out.

How can we save ourselves? Through the Word of the Gospel, where the path to follow is indicated, where putting into practice all the teachings of the Gospel is given as an indispensable condition, without ignoring those we least like. Only in this way can we demonstrate our love for God. Jesus himself says: "Whoever truly loves me knows my commandments and puts them into practice"
(Jn 14:21).

And he encourages us in the search to be able to meet him, saying: «Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. For whoever asks receives, and whoever seeks finds, and to whoever knocks it will be opened"
(Mt 7,7-12).

Only if we manage to put his teachings into practice, will we have the chance to experience his ardent love and confidently await the fulfillment of the promised eternal happiness.