February 14 

February 14 is St. Valentine’s Day. But not this year. This year it’s Ash Wednesday, the annual kickoff of the 40-day season of Lent.  So, instead of chocolates and candy hearts, romantic dinners by candlelight, or champagne and caviar, this Wednesday we will be observing a fast, which includes abstaining from meat, and wearing ashes on our foreheads as a meditation on our mortality. At a recent meeting with the priests of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Bishop Caggiano told us to make sure we remind the people that Ash Wednesday trumps Valentine’s Day in importance, and that we are obliged as Catholics to observe this important day in a way deemed fitting by the Church – with sobriety, prayer, and fasting. 

But you know what’s interesting? According to the Church, February 14 is never St. Valentine’s Day in most places in the world. The only place where the Church officially celebrates Valentine’s Day is Rome. That’s because St. Valentine (Valentius) was a third-century Roman priest and martyr. Because he is a local saint, his feast day remains on the liturgical calendar only in the Diocese of Rome. This was not always the case, of course. St. Valentine had been on the universal liturgical calendar for many centuries, which is how February 14 became enshrined as St. Valentine’s Day in the cultural imagination. But because the events of his life are difficult to verify historically, the Church removed the feast of St. Valentine from its universal calendar in 1969, as part of its liturgical revisions. Since then, most of the Church observes the day as the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. 

Now, Cyril and Methodius were no slouches. They were brothers born in the ninth century who became priests and brought Christianity to the Slavic peoples of central and eastern Europe. They developed what’s called the Cyrillic alphabet which made the Sacred Scriptures available to people in their native languages to be used in the liturgy. Sts. Cyril and Methodius are a big deal. They are great saints. 

But it is interesting that, despite the Church’s decision to demote him liturgically, St. Valentine still seems to rule the day. Perhaps it is due to corporate America’s ability to transform every holiday into an “opportunity” to consume and spend a lot of money. But St. Valentine is also associated with finding love, something that everyone is looking for. St. Valentine discovered the love of Christ. He was martyred for ministering to Christians suffering persecution for their love of Christ. Although his life has become obscure through the passage of time, he remains a worthy intercessor for those desiring to find true love, which is ultimately found in Christ. 

So, I guess what I’m saying is that it’s ok to celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14. Just not this year. 

posted 2/10/24