Pastor's Letter: Valentine's Day

Although Valentine’s Day trinkets are still all around, it’s easy to forget that the holiday is actually a feast day for Catholics, one which venerates St. Valentine of Rome. He was a bishop and martyr, but very little else about his life is reliably known. You can read more about him here.

One legend is that St. Valentine was the celebrant of several marriages for young couples in peril. This legend has gained popularity and it’s no surprise since our culture loves romance. And although marriage and romance are lovely, indeed holy, things, I believe we’re missing something. 

Our culture is quick to celebrate romantic love, most likely because gifts for a spouse generate a lot of business! But it seems to me that Valentine’s Day should be a day Catholics show our culture what true love is: the true love of Jesus Christ. 

In his book, The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis describes “agape” love, or charity, as God’s unconditional love; love in the deepest sense of possibility. Isn’t that exactly what our culture is missing? Love has become mere sentimentality at best. At worst, the new marker of “love” is accepting all behavior from an individual and never suggesting that their actions may bring them harm. We need more “agape” in our lives!

Imagine if today, a joyful chorus serenaded widows at an assisted living facility. What if a family wrote love poems taken directly from Scripture and gave them to first responders? We often think of serving in a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving, but do the hungry not need love and care in February? If you think about it for a moment, we could honestly transform the world if each Catholic Christian made a commitment to share “agape” love this Valentine’s Day.

So this is my challenge to you: pray and ask God to put someone on your heart. Then shower them with the Divine Mercy Jesus has bestowed upon you. If you find yourself unable to fathom God’s love for you, your challenge is to read Roman 8:37-39 and ask Jesus to show you His Divine Mercy. I know He will not fail you.