February 13, 2023
Melissa Valerio
Ever wonder how Valentine’s Day became a traditional holiday? Wikipedia says this: Saint Valentine was a priest of Rome who was imprisoned for helping persecuted Christians. As legend has it, on the night before he was to be executed, he healed the blind daughter of a jailer, restoring her sight. He was also believed to have written her the first ever Valentine card, signing it “Your Valentine”. So impressive was he that people in that region started celebrating these acts of love. And now all over the world, we see various ways of love being celebrated in honor of this one man whose “acts of love” radically changed the lives of those he touched.
It’s no surprise, then, when we read in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 “We are ruled by Christ’s love for us. We are certain that if one person died for everyone else, then all of us have died. And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us.” (CEV) The ultimate act of love was Jesus dying for us. And now that He’s been raised back to life, and if His spirit is living inside of us, we also have the privilege of representing that same love to the rest of the world. Just as Saint Valentine did. As the scripture reads, we no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ. And by living for Christ, we are able to manifest this love in the way we serve others. Being the hands and feet and heart and words of Jesus.
Prayer: King Jesus, on Valentine’s Day, it’s really You that we’re celebrating; the author and creator of Love. From You, we have received the most precious gift anyone could give. Thank You for loving us, dying for us, and defeating death for us. We are only able to love others because You first loved us. Thank You a thousand times over. In Your precious name we pray, Amen.
Action: This year, for Valentine’s Day, instead of buying a gift to give, perform an act of love. Think about who you’re giving this gift (of service) to. Think about what they like, what their interests are, what makes them smile. And then do it for them. Examples: Make them their favorite dinner (especially if they are the primary cook), watch a movie/show with them (especially if they’re really into a particular show at the moment), fill up their gas tank for them (especially if they’re prone to run on empty), do something they like to do (especially if you don’t like to do it). Do something out of the norm that will grab their attention and put a smile on their face. If the person you’re doing this for is a person that desires gifts over acts of love, then do both. Serving others is how we show Christ’s love.