February 19, 2006

    This past week we celebrated the feast of St. Valentine.  Although the feast was initially a very simple feast to remind us that love is an important element of life, it has become central to our culture as a time when people take the time and energy to share their feelings for one another.  Although love is not a one day affair, the day has become very symbolic of people’s greatest desires in life.

     Why has Valentine’s Day become so popular?  We could probably blame it on the media or the commercialization of the day and, of course,  those factors  have helped matters considerably.   However, if we give it some thought, we will be forced to admit that the popularity of the day comes from the inside rather than the outside of ourselves.

    There is a strong possibility that Valentine’s Day became such a “success” because it is a means of expressing our innermost feelings and desires without being laughed at or accused of being die hard romantics.  As Americans, our society places a high priority on the work ethic, practicality and simply being reasonable, not to mention the individualistic character we are all encouraged to develop.  But, once a year we are allowed to mellow out and come into contact with our inner feelings.  We can tell everyone we know that we care.  We can spend big money on a romantic dinner, very expensive roses or perhaps an elegant piece of jewelry.  We do not have to excuse ourselves or worry that others will find us extravagant.  It all falls under the umbrella of being romantic and don’t we all appreciate a little romance in our lives once in a while.  

    If the above is true and real to our experience, perhaps there is an important message for us as Christians.  Why do we have such difficulty being faithful to our religious commitments?  Why do we often feel that we need to exert a phenomenal amount of energy to even remember the God who created us and continues to be with us?  Can we learn a lesson from the celebration of Valentine’s Day?   Perhaps we are missing a very important component in our faith lives. It could be that, over the centuries, the idea of God being a part of our innermost desire has simply vanished.  Instead, we have replaced God in our hearts with a God that has simply become an intellectual factor in our lives. 

    As human beings we have been blessed with the ability to feel and to express emotion.  Although this gift often causes us great pain, it also gives us some of the most wonderful moments of our life.  Love was probably never meant to be solely a rational and intellectual proposition.  A relationship that remains in the head is hardly a human relationship.  If falls flat of its beauty and expression and consequently, it often dies. 

    Where, then, does our relationship with God lie?  If God is not one of our innermost desires, why isn’t he?  Have we allowed our God to enter our hearts?  Is God stuck in our minds?  Could we take some time to open that door in the near future?  Wouldn’t our faith life be all the more rich if we took the time to get to know God from the heart?