Love Worth Returning

It is easy to assume that Valentine’s Day was created by greeting card companies, and while modern celebrations are certainly shaped by Hallmark and the printing press, the roots of this day reach much deeper. Long before chocolates and cards, February 14 was connected to a Roman festival honoring the god Lupercus. In the late fifth century, Pope Gelasius intentionally replaced that pagan celebration with the remembrance of Saint Valentine, a believer who gave his life rather than renounce his faith in Jesus Christ.

By the 1840s, mass printing made it possible to exchange Valentine cards, and Esther Howland, later called the “Mother of the American Valentine,” popularized cards and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. Yet with all these traditions, the deeper meaning has been forgotten. Valentine’s Day was never meant to be only sentimental; it was meant to be sacred. Saint Valentine is remembered for courageous faith. He defied unjust Roman laws and refused to deny Christ, even under threat of execution. His life reminds us that Christian love is not passive. It requires conviction, perseverance, and sometimes sacrifice. Valentine stands among countless martyrs whose faithful witness still challenges believers today to stand firm in truth.

This day also points us to agape love, the unconditional love of God that reached into our hearts, offering forgiveness of sins through Christ. God’s love was costly, deliberate, and redemptive. It is the model for how we are called to love others. Valentine’s Day, then, becomes an opportunity: to honor marriage, to serve others, to show compassion and kindness to family, friends, and strangers alike. It is a chance to recommit our lives to living out the Christian virtues of sacrificial love, courage in faith, and genuine compassion. When we do, Valentine’s Day becomes more than a celebration; it becomes our testimony.

–G. Yarian

LOVE THAT REQUIRES MORE THAN WORDS