Celebrating Love on Valentines Day




As a close-to-50-year-old single man on Valentine's Day, it's hard not to be cynical during the holiday. We are constantly bombarded in the media with messages of how we are supposed to celebrate the day and what we're supposed to buy for our partners on this alleged most important day for lovers: electronics, chocolate, new car, $1,300 dollar Pandora necklace, insurance (really? yes really), flowers, etc. -- you get the idea. It's no wonder that we falsely believe that the holiday was created by a greeting card company. And it is also no wonder why it can be difficult for those who are alone to find reason to celebrate.

With so much focus of the holiday on romance, it leaves us single folk out to pasture while the rest of the coupled world celebrates their bliss. And don't get me wrong, I love Valentine's Day. I support any day set aside to celebrate our love for one another. However, sometimes it's easy to feel left out when you are not partnered, or even worse, when you are grieving a loss of someone you love.

However, I find solace when I meditate on the legend of the holiday. It's not only about love, but staying true to your faith. Valentines day was not invented by Hallmark as many believe. There really was a St. Valentine who lived in the third century. As a matter of fact, there may have been as many as three Christian martyrs named Valentine who are honored on Valentines Day. Valentine of Rome was a priest who lived during a time when the Church was persecuted by Emperor Claudius II. Valentine of Terni was a second century Bishop (and perhaps also a physician) who was martyred by Emperor Aurelian. And there was a third Valentine who was martyred in Africa. As with many of the early saints, the details of their life stories are unknown and the stories have been blended into mostly a single legend of St. Valentine of Rome.

As the legend story of St. Valentine is told, Emperor Claudius II would not allow young couples to marry as he believed that unmarried men made better soldiers. However, the priest Valentine continued to marry couples in secret. Claudius had Valentine arrested and tortured. The Emperor tried to get Valentine to disavow his Christianity and convert to Paganism (this part of the story is likely true). It is said that while in prison, Valentine healed the daughter of one of his jailers, a blind girl who regained her sight. Valentine stayed true to his faith and was later martyred.

Could you imagine loving God so much that you are willing to give up everything -- including your own life to remain loyal to God's love and your faith? I believe THAT is the love to celebrate on Valentine's day. God's love for us is consistent and true and we can only hope to return that love by loving each other.

If you are feeling alone or unloved, check out this scripture:


Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies (Psalm 36:5).

How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings (Psalm 36:7).

Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love (Psalm 48:9).

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever (Psalm 52:8).

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (Psalm 86:15).

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever (Psalm 136:26).

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness" (Jeremiah 31:3).

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends John 15:13).

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love (John 15:9).

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39).

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2).

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-5).

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).

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