MEDIA

For centuries, February 14 has been known as Valentine's Day. Many people send cards and gifts to their �sweethearts,� their friends or their family members. Although Valentine's Day comes on the feast day of two different Catholic martyrs, both named Valentine, the customs and traditions associated with that day have nothing to do with the lives of these men.

The customs actually come from an ancient Roman fertility festival, Lupercalia, that took place every February 15. The festival honoured Juno, the Roman goddess of women and marriage, and Pan, the god of nature.

Later, after the spread of Christianity, religious leaders tried to put a Christian spin on this pagan festival. In 496, Pope Gelasius changed the Lupercalia festival of February 15 to St. Valentine's Day on February 14. However, in reality, the meaning of this pagan festival has remained unchanged to this day.

You may ask, �Isn't good to have a day of romance, affection and love?� Certainly! In fact, those things should not be limited to February 14 but, rather, celebrated every day!

The Bible is full of stories and examples of romance, affection and love. It also helps us understand the different types of love that we can experience in our lives, including conjugal love (romance), God's love for us, and brotherly love.

Conjugal Love

�Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, �I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.' So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.� (Genesis 19:18, 20)

�Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.� (Ephesians 5:25)

God's Love for Us

�The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: �I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.'� (Jeremiah 31:3)

�For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.� (John 3:16)

Brotherly Love

�This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.� (1 John 3:16)

Loving each other is not optional � it is a command Jesus gave us: �My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.� (John 15:12)

If we stop loving, we deny God. The Bible says that �whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.� (1 John 4:8)

Human love, at best, is conditional, if not limited and even self-seeking. God's love, however, is not conditional! �But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.� (Romans 5:8) God's love perfectly models all the characteristics with which Paul described love in 1 Corinthians 13.

Is Valentine's Day �okay� for a Christian? Well, love is Christian and very biblical. It is the very essence of our faith. So, if Valentine's Day is really a day of celebrating and showing love, then it should be observed every day by Christians. Ephesians 5:2 tells us to �live a life of love.�

Pastor Joseph Hovsepian

Taken from God's Workshop: Meditations from Everyday Life for Everyday People (Go to www.josephhovsepianministries.com for more information.)