Happy St. Valentine's Day!!!

Even though his name does not appear on the calendar anymore, he is still listed among the martyrs, and rightly so. Legends prevail about this man because he represents so much of what it means to give ourselves entirely to Christ. Whether or not an actual Roman citizen named Valentinus was locked in prison for witnessing to the faith and sentenced to execution and sent letters to fellow Christians to encourage them in their fidelity to the Church is really beside the point (although that is the origin of giving valentines). The point is-- that today is about giving ourselves entirely to Christ by witnessing to the reality that LOVE binds us all together as one. No matter who we meet today on our path, we should show them the Love of Christ. Whether it be our spouse, our children, our friends, or strangers we pass on the street. Today we recognize that Christ came to build a civilization founded on that purest, most Holy Love which is God Himself; the Love that nailed him to the Cross is the Love we must give to ALL we meet today. Everyday. That is why this day is so important! It's not about teddybears and roses; today is about Christ, as is every day we live. But today we remember that, just like Valentinus, we must never be afraid to show love to strangers. We must never be afraid to witness to our faith that there is something greater bonding us to one another than our common humanity: it's the love of Jesus Christ who died for us!!! Valentinus would drop his little notes outside his jailcell window, in the hopes that passersby would see them and find his words of Christian inspiration.

Let us never be afraid to show such boundless, gratuitous LOVE to all we meet~