Valentine’s Day is coming, so if there is someone romantically relevant in your life, then honor them in whatever way you see fit. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it better be sincere if you know what’s good for you!
But if you are not in a relationship, please don’t sink into a malaise of desperation and depression because of all the extra “amour” in the air.
Instead why not consider the deeper ideas behind Valentine’s Day (No, I don’t mean consider the health benefits of dark chocolate over milk chocolate), and use the day as opportunity to reach out to others in whatever loving way you can, to truly honor the memory of St. Valentine.
But hold on a second you say. What are the deeper ideas behind Valentine’s Day? I thought it was all about kisses and Cupid. I mean who was this St. Valentine anyway?
Well, the truth is that St. Valentine is no longer actually recognized as a Catholic saint because nobody is exactly clear who he was and what he did, though the church lists several St. Valentines who were martyred.
One legend suggests he was a priest in the third century who was beheaded for continuing to marry soldiers after the Roman Emperor outlawed single soldiers from marrying because it would hamper their ability to fight. Another legend suggests St. Valentine helped and gave sanctuary to would be Christian martyrs, and he was executed for that.
Whatever the case, the individual formerly known as St. Valentine clearly believed that absolute principles, like true love, devotion to God, and opposition to human execution, were noble causes worth dying for. He would not stand for the persecution of others simply for expressing their God given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, to coin a phrase, no matter who they were or what they believed. And he was willing to die for those beliefs, and to serve the people he protected.
That’s quite an inspiration for us today as we live in our world of convenience and comfort. And one of the places where that addiction to ease unfortunately manifests itself most is in the pursuit of love. Relationships are oft based on desperation and self-service instead of inspiration and respect.
Desperation is a deadly disease that breaks the heart and kills the spirit by reducing us to our base physical instincts and superficial needs. A steady diet of infatuated desperation abounds in our movies through characters that want only to satisfy their physical desires for companionship as quickly as possible, and in the sensory overload of television turning us into immediate gratification addicts incapable of patience, abstinence, and thoughtful living to bring us to a deeper love. That leads so many of us to throw ourselves thoughtlessly and heartlessly headlong into relationships in the name of romance. When, in actuality, it is desperation that is motivating us with a popular cultural message that tells us to find a mate now, or else we are lost.
Blessed love between a man and woman is an incredible and sincere gift that’s worth waiting for. It cannot be forced, bought, or bargained for. But it will come in all God’s glory when we follow our inspired path, looking for opportunities to love others at every turn, which in turn leads right back to a deeper general love for humanity.
And what better way to follow that path than to reach out instead and love the world in that all consuming, sincere, and devoted way that St. Valentine did, whoever he was.
Help a friend, take your mother or father out for lunch, visit a lonely neighbor, or how about maybe volunteering your time at a local charity this Valentine’s Day? After all, now that the holidays are over, they are hurting for help. I personally suggest a phone call to a local St. Vincent de Paul, or to a local food bank.
Love connects all of us, not just star-crossed lovers. In addition, I guarantee you will find more love than you know what to do with from the hundreds of needy souls out there just waiting to love and be loved on that special day.