A Fire in Your Belly
Have you ever fallen in love? Have you ever made a commitment in marriage, religious life, or priesthood? Or have you found a soulmate, a forever friend, who is so much more than a friend? We know what love feels like. We know what it is to abandon ourselves to another, be that another human or God. That is what today’s Gospel reading is about. It is about falling in love with your whole heart, your entire soul, your whole being.
Usually, when we fall in love, it doesn’t happen in a flash. It is a growing feeling. But it is more than a feeling. It is a fire in your belly. It is an explosion in your soul after which you can never be the same. That fire is what today’s Gospel is about.
When we make a commitment to another or to God, it doesn’t happen in a moment. A marriage built on fire in the belly love does not occur on a wedding day. The ceremony that publicly proclaims love occurs at the moment, but the marriage happens over a lifetime. The commitment of a religious to give their life to God through priesthood or religious life does not occur at the ordination or vows’ profession. The dedication, the love, the fire happens at a whole different time and with an unimaginable intensity.
At the beginning of the reading, Jesus is talking to Nicodemus. Nicodemus has fallen in love. He is testing the waters. Nicodemus is a Pharisee, but his commitment isn’t to the 613 laws of being a good Jew. That is not where his love is. He loves God first. He loved God before he met Jesus. In this reading, Nicodemus is searching, and Jesus is lighting a fire in his belly.
Imagine a tightrope, and God is on one end luring us forward. Calling us to come to light. Evil or Satan is at the other end, beckoning us to darkness. We stand on that rope being summoned in two directions. When we fall in love with God (not the Church, not the rules, not the trappings of religion), we begin our journey into the light. The fire of love in our belly beckons us closer and closer to the fullness of light. Love lived in the light cannot be engulfed in darkness. That is true of our human relationships, and it is true of our relationship with God.
Our beloved is always first, and we make decisions based on the passion of our love. In our faith life, God wants to be our beloved (as we are His). He wants to light the fire in our belly that we cannot turn away from. He calls us into the light. When we fall in love with God, the fire of love explodes in our souls.
We usually cannot put a specific moment on it. But we know to the last morsel of our being the power of God’s love. There is no going back. We have chosen to live in the light of the love of God. Our decisions, our words, our actions toward others, and even our attitudes are lured ever closer to the fullness of the light of God’s love. Because that is what we do when we love someone, we put them first. When we love God, we put Him first.
But there is a word of caution. A fire must be tended. A fire needs to be nourished and replenished with wood. A fire unattended goes out. Tend the fire of love that has exploded in your soul. Tend it in your human love and your love of God. One is a microcosm of the other. Our human loves are God’s gift. They are the echo of His love for us. Be on guard. Satan will try to call you away from the fire. He wants you to leave it unattended. Satan loves the darkness.
Keep the belly fire of love burning brightly. Don’t hide it, be embarrassed by it, or worry about it. Allow the fire of God’s love to fill you with passion. Allow it to bring light to every nook and cranny of your life. Allow it to affect every decision, every word, and every action. Fall hopelessly and passionately in love with God. What a wonderful world it would be!
In God’s Unending Love,
Gwen
