St. Valentine’s Day
Who are the saints?
The Church teaches us that the saints are those who have modeled a life of holiness and that we believe are now with the Father in Heaven. When we say that we believe in “one holy catholic Church" and in “the communion of saints,” we are referring to the unity of all of God’s people in heaven and on earth working for His glory. For this reason, we believe that those who are now in heaven can still pray for us and intercede on our behalf.
Saints are given feast days to honor the good that they did in their lives. We can ask the saints to pray for us in special ways related to the holiness they obtained in their own life or the challenges they overcame. It is important to understand that we are not asking the saints to perform a miracle or supernatural act on their own or to even answer our prayer, rather, we are asking for God to act through the prayers being offered. The saint is simply a mediator who we believe to be close to God because he/she is now in Heaven.
Who is St. Valentine?
When researching St. Valentine, there were differing stories about his life. What is most consistently known about him is that he was a priest in Rome during the 3rd century. During this time, the Roman Empire persecuted and killed Christians. Saint Valentine was arrested for trying to convert people to Christianity and for marrying Christian couples. St. Valentine was beaten and eventually killed for refusing to denounce the Christian faith.
One common story was that he wrote letters from jail and entitled them “From Your Valentine.” For this reason, we share Valentine’s cards and gifts with those we love in honor of his memory and the love he shared. St. Valentine is the patron saint of “couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plagues, travellers, and young people” (catholic.org).
How to celebrate the Feast of St. Valentine
Celebrating Valentine’s Day is about cherishing all types of love. Love can be about friendship, family or more intimate relationships, like married couples. If you’ve never read the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, I highly recommend it. It speaks about how people can perceive love and appreciation differently. These include: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Physical Touch, Acts of Service, and Receiving Gifts.
For example, neither my husband nor I are big gifts people. If I receive a gift, it’s not about the gift that makes me feel appreciated and loved. It’s about the thought and effort that went into the gift. If someone were to buy me a religious item or a gift card for coffee or something else that I really like, it would mean so much to me because they knew me well enough to know what I would like. It’s not about the gift, it's about being seen and known and loved.
As you celebrate Valentine’s Day, whether for your kids of any age, your spouse, friends, or teachers, pay attention to the things that really mean something to them. It may be more meaningful to write a nice handwritten card if their love language is “words of affirmation.” If they enjoy receiving gifts, buy a small gift - it can be simple, they will love it! My husband and I both enjoy quality time, so we prefer date nights, either at a restaurant or at home.
Praying using Love Languages
The love languages can even translate to the way that we perceive God’s love in prayer. For example, because I’m a person who loves quality time and appreciates words of affirmation, I feel most fulfilled when I spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration or I read his Word and write in my journal. These are the ways that I’m able to express myself and feel Him most closely.
If you are struggling with how to know God and love God and feel God’s love, really think about the way that you perceive love in other parts of your life. If you perceive love through physical touch, then you may pray best with the rosary or other prayers where you have something tangible to hold while you pray.
Gift ideas
Finally, as you share gifts and other expressions of love on Valentine’s day, remember that we are called to model the love that St. Valentine shared. Saints are not perfect, but they found a way, by relying on the grace of God, to live a life of holiness. We are all called to this type of transformation of our hearts and lives.
Here are some Scripture verses to add to your Valentine’s Day card which remind us of the love God has for us:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son , so that everyone who believed in Him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16).
“We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
“Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
“But God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love” (John 15:9).
