This month, we will celebrate Chinese New Year, Ash Wednesday/the beginning of Lent, and who can forget… Valentine’s Day.

 

I really don’t like to celebrate Valentine’s Day because it is such a commercialized holiday. Due to supply and demand, flowers are way overpriced. Nice restaurants are booked up early; many offering “prix fixe” menus which usually mean spending more than you would typically spend on a meal. Not to mention the cards, chocolates, and gifts. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is very nice to express your love to your significant other, but it shouldn’t have to be on one designated day. (Ok, I’m obviously heavily influenced by my very practical parents). Plus, wouldn’t it be more special to do something nice because you want to, not because you’re supposed to?

 

Like other Christian holidays, the original intention or meaning is often overlooked. St. Valentine was imprisoned for marrying Christian couples and aiding Christians being persecuted by the emperor in Rome. His love for the people he served was so great that he eventually became a martyr. So this Valentine’s Day, which also coincides with the beginning of Lent, let’s try to love more. For in Matthew, chapter 22, Jesus tells us that the first and greatest commandment is to “love the Lord… with all you heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and the second is to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

Can you imagine a world where love is everyone’s top priority? There would be no more wars or battles, no theft, no bullying, no homicides. While this is unlikely to happen until we get to heaven, let’s do what we can to bring more love into this world we live in now.