Okay, first of all; it is The Feast of SAINT Valentine, and it is a Holy Day, not a Holiday. Let's get this straight people.
I'm starting to have a big problem with this so-called "Valentine's Day." And don't misunderstand me. I am the type of girl who loves pink. A lot. I love pink and hearts and fairies, flowers and chocolates and anything romantic. So, a day that is dedicated to all those things, all wrapped up with a big, fluffy bow?! Of course I'm all for that! And I do truly love the idea of one day, a dashing young man in a suit and crookedly tied bowtie, bearing a single red rose, standing on my doorstep and picking me up to take me to dinner and a movie on valentine's day. As my Dad glares at him through the blinds and makes motions of cocking a pump action rifle. It warms my heart.
BUT. That is not what today SHOULD be dedicated to. Today is the feast day of a holy priest. A PRIEST, people. And good priests, as St. Valentine surely was, live celibate lives. So where exactly does this whole romantic thing come in??
So. Here are my three biggest issues with how this day is represented in our culture.
1. Revolting focus on sex. Planned Parenthood, stick your nose out of this holiday. It is about a Holy, celibate priest, giving his life in martyrdom for God. It is about the TRUEST LOVE, and your disgusting diabolical scheming has no place it in. Butt OUT.
2. Whiny single people. I mean, come on! Again! This. Holiday. Is. About. A. Good. Holy. Self-sacrificing. CELIBATE. Priest. SO get off your couch and stop gorging on chocolates in front of the newest trashy Nicholas Sparks movie, bemoaning God's cruelty in making you single for yet another Valentine's Day. Today is literally a special day only because it celebrates a man who decided to give up earthly pleasures and even relationships to be a priest and then was martyred. SO KNOCK IT OFF.
And don't even start griping that I don't know what it's like. I'm 19 and I've never been on a date. And I'm completely okay with that. Instead of focusing on the fact that you are miserable because you don't have a girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife/trained monkey to "complete you," realize that even if you did, that person (or monkey) would still not complete you. Only God can complete you. Only God can fill that aching chasm inside you that longs to be satisfied. If you are seeking a relationship, hoping to be completed and fulfilled by it somehow, then you are in for a difficult awakening, my friend.
St. Valentine obviously figured out that only God can ever "complete" us. I mean, he DIED for God. If God has allowed you this time of single-hood, then learn to love it and use it well. He wants you use this time to get to know and love Him above all else. When you do, He will allow the person into your life, provided marriage is your vocation, who is best suited to help you attain heaven. So grab a tissue, wipe your tears and chocolate crumbs off, and go read this prayer. http://madeinhisimage.org/whenacuteguyasksyouout/
3. People who have decided to boycott or be unkind, even jokingly, on Valentine's Day. Listen. This feast is indeed about LOVE. Just not necessarily about romantic love. So giving out "un-valentines," even though they may be amusing, really is just as counter productive as getting all mushy about this holiday. Giving a person a silly card saying "I don't like you," or "Don't be mine" may indeed be very clever. But it only shows you have accepted the culture's definition of Valentine's Day and have decided to rebel against it.
Let me say it again. This feast is about LOVE. But it is about God's Love; Christ's Love; a martyred man's love of the one who is Love. It is about loving your neighbor. Even the one who cuts you off in traffic, glares at you at work, or reliably makes your life more difficult day in and day out. So today, I challenge you to smile at people. And not a fake smile, either. Use that real, beautiful, genuine smile that God created in you. One that says, "I love you. I'm holding nothing back. I'm smiling at you for all that I'm worth, and all I want to do is impart to you a bit of that inner joy Christ has filled me with." In the words of Mother Teresa, "Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." So smile at people. And mean it.
And find other ways you can show love to other people today. Hold the door for someone. Take your brother's dinner plate over to the sink for him. Yes, I know he can be impossible, and I know you end up taking it over for him every night because he forgets to do so. Every. Single. Night. But today, take it over before Mom asks you to. And do it with love, rather than frustration.
Buy someone a coffee. Text your Dad at work and tell him you appreciate him going to work to support your family. Stop in a church and pray in front of the tabernacle for a few minutes. Just tell Christ you love Him, without asking for anything.
It doesn't have to be anything big. Just do something to acknowledge that today is indeed dedicated to love. True, self-sacrificing love. And let your actions today be a reflection of Him Who is Love.
xoxo
