Pastor’s message for Feb. 14, 2023
“Love is a Verb” (1 Cor. 13: 4-7)
How do you define Love?
This upcoming Feb. 14, we celebrate St. Valentine’s day. For centuries, it has been a day where the Church recognizes and honors St. Valentine. It is also a day in which the Church celebrates the institution of marriage.
St. Valentine is thought to have been a Priest beheaded by the Roman Emperor Claudius II for wedding Christian couples. Not much is known beyond that. Some scholars have suggested that he married military servicemen who, at the time, were prohibited from being married. Whatever the exact details involving his martyrdom are, we know that it did involve marriage. He was martyred for performing Christian weddings. This speaks to his commitment to Divine Love.
That commitment toward, and understanding of, Divine Love is important to capture in our current culture and society. In modern times, St. Valentine’s day has become, more or less, a day where we simply celebrate the concepts of “love” and “romance.” The problem is that, most of the time, these concepts are not well-defined or nuanced. Neither do they carry with it any real meaning. All too often, they are superficial, and merely reduced to how we “feel” about someone else. As a result, Valentine’s day has become increasingly mitigated to the experience of emotion. But the Bible calls us toward a deeper meaning of Love.
1 Cor. 13 helps to define love for us. In verses 4-7, love is defined not by the emotional experience one has for another, but rather by the action one engages in service toward the other. Thus, Paul writes that we love when we engage in the practice of patience. That is, we are patient with those who frustrate us. We love when we engage in the practice of kindness. That is, we love when we show kindness to those whom we might find annoying. We love when we exhibit the characteristics of humility. That is, we are not selfish, arrogant, spiteful, sarcastic, or rude toward another person.
Now, in reference to marriage, this redefines how we are to understand our commitment and covenant with our spouse. However, in more broader terms, this truth also applies to all of us, even those among us who are not married. Simply put, our feelings are not how we show or express our love. It may be how we experience it from time to time. But we show our love when we act in love. So, whether you are married or not, go act out in love toward others this Valentine’s Day.
Dear God, as we approach St. Valentine’s Day, help me to express and show my love for others by the way I act and treat them.
Amen.
