The Christophers: Divine Perspective on Valentine’s Day

By Fr. Ed Dougherty,

M.M., The Christophers’ Board of Directors

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February is a great time to say, “I love you,” and there are many ways we can do this beyond speaking those three amazing words. Valentine’s Day on February 14th provides a reminder of our need to honor the bonds of love and affection that we have formed. It’s a feast that was first instituted by the Church to celebrate Saint Valentine, a third century priest, physician, and martyr known for sacrificial love.

The Christian model of sacrifice remains a perfect launching point for understanding our calling to care for others during this time of year, because there are so many ways that we can say, “I love you.”

Of course, we have the wonderful standards of Valentine’s Day, revolving around gift-giving and spending quality time together. But those standards can get one-dimensional if we don’t look beyond their superficial aspects to understand love in its fullest sense. And those looking to deepen the bonds of romantic love will find in this approach an inexhaustible wealth of ideas to act upon.

In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul writes, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

This biblical pronouncement really does put things in perspective because it teaches us to see love in the context of eternity. In its purest essence, love wills the good of the other to the point of being willing to make sacrifices. Seen through this lens, we understand the need for a patient, forgiving, and caring approach with those we love. These are the things that enable relationships of all kinds to grow and flourish, and these are the things we should practice regularly so we know how to employ them when our love is put to the test.

It is only in challenges that we are able to prove ourselves, and it is a beautiful thing to look for opportunities in life to prove our love. In fact, we prove our love for God by loving others. As Saint Paul says, “Love never ends,” showing us that the surest way to enter into relationship with God and the things of eternity is to love.

What an amazing invitation God makes to us to pour ourselves out in sacrificial ways in loving relationships. To follow in Christ’s footsteps is to care for others even when they are at their worst. It is to help another when they are sick, to give to another when they are in need, and to forgive when we have been wronged.

These are the deepest aspects of love put to the test and proven through action. We are all called to this type of love, and walking this path prepares for the purest of actions in marital love. So let’s all practice sacrificial love in a special way this year around Valentine’s Day because it is a universal calling that enriches each of our relationships.

When we walk this path of sacrifice, we set ourselves on a course of discovering God’s profound love for us. This, in turn, opens the door for us to see Christ in all those we encounter, fulfilling in our own lives the words of our Lord, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

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For free copies of the Christopher News Note BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org