Saintly Love
Saturday, February 14th Readings Reflection: Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop
In the new liturgical calendar, today is the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, two biological brothers who brought the Faith to what is now the Ukraine. As part of their missionary work, St. Cyril developed a Slavonic script that became the precursor to the Cyrillic alphabet that was named in his honor.
Traditionally and historically, today is the Feast of St. Valentine, a feast that has become so engrained in secular culture that the titular saint is little known. The Roman Martyrology lists two Saint Valentines for today. The first was a Roman priest and martyr who was decapitated under Claudius Caesar, and the second was bishop of Terni (in central Italy) who was beaten and beheaded for his faith. Modern scholars believe that these martyrs are the same person from the third century, giving us one St. Valentine to venerate on today’s feast.
Some modern traditions for St. Valentine’s Day originated from legends of the real saint’s life. One such story recounts how St. Valentine would send notes to Christians while he was in prison; this led to the modern practice of sending Valentine’s cards. A second story tells how Emperor Claudius forbade his soldiers from marrying. According to tradition, St. Valentine secretly officiated the marriages of soldiers in his capacity as a Catholic cleric (ewtn.co.uk). From these traditions, St. Valentine became associated with love and is the patron saint of lovers.
In the secular world, St. Valentine’s Day is sadly often “celebrated” with sins against the Sixth and Ninth Commandments. However, a truly Catholic celebration of this beautiful feast honors the reality that husband and wife are called to lay down their lives for each other in a truly self-sacrificial love, a love that reflects the love between Christ and the Church.
Today’s Gospel recounts Our Lord’s miraculously feeding a crowd of four thousand people. We read that Our Lord had “compassion on the [hungry] multitude” (Mk 8:1 DRB) and performed His miracle out of compassion or love for the people gathered before Him. This same Christ-like charity can be seen in the lives of the three saints whose feasts we celebrate today. The missionary brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius dedicated their lives to their missionary endeavors, and St. Valentine gave his life as a martyr for the Faith. May these three saints pray for us, that we may all grow in true Christ-like charity, regardless of our state in life. And may St. Valentine in particular pray for all married couples, that they may grow in Christlike, self-sacrificial charity so that they may one day spend eternity together in Heaven.
Christina,
I never knew of the abuse, but through your courage it is finally in the light. My heart is broken for you and your sisters. I knew abuse occurred in the seminaries and with the priests but never thought about the sisters and the convents. I have so many ideas but they have probably been tried before like assigning a sister to each novice as a mentor and confessor. I wish I could do something to help, although I will get the word out due to your courageous article. You are continually in my prayers.
David D.
Senior Verger
St. Philip Episcopal Church