St Valentine

It is a little challenging to see how the real St Valentine has any association with the romantic image presented by the name in current time! He certainly can be ascribed as a man of deep love who gave of himself to heal people and sacrificed his life for his faith in Jesus Christ. It is a day to consider love, those whom we love and if that love is centred on ourselves or on the person being loved.

Romance is beautiful and enjoyable with all the happy hormones fuelling the system at high intensity. It builds memories to which we can return reminding us of our original purpose and good intent. Sometimes such memories bring us to review how we are with someone and to make a fresh start so that love is given a little leverage In relationships.

The real love that sustains any friendship or relationship is one which survives and even thrives through the most challenging of situations. Real love is about giving and doing the right thing by the person whom we love. There are many bumps along the road of love which shake us up and bring us to land on a spot not chosen by us! That love can be seen in accompaniment of a spouse, partner, parent, child, friend whose needs change or present with great challenge. It can be seen when financial circumstances are mind-blowingly challenging and people walk together to find that glimmer of hope that leads to a new place of safety and wellbeing. I remember challenging times in my own birth family when health, and consequently money, was a challenge and my father's response was that if we have one another, we have enough - it was true in our experience.

For those of us who work in pastoral ministry, we are blessed to encounter people at both their very best and worst in terms of how they deal with death, tragedy, illness, disability, financial difficulty….. Those in our experience presenting at their worst are in an OK space, usually, because they are in a talking space. Talk in tough times brings in an encounter with another person where the key to hope and love may be found, even if only in a small measure at the time, but it may be the tiny glimmer that leads to a better and more hopeful place. Talk opens one up to experiencing the love, trust and care of another person.

St Valentine was a man with a focus on both God and the goodness of people. As the commercial space is flooded with red hearted cards during these days let us open our hearts anew to all whom we encounter. Enjoy the weekend and spare a thought for those who might need a smile, a kind word or a deed to add the experience of love to their lives also. Love is a togetherness that makes the journey of life work well for everyone!

Cathy Burke
Catechist in the Lucan Partnership of Parishes