Saint Valentine's Day Reflections

The more and more I have grown older and subsequently in my knowledge of Christianity and society the more I am struck by the oddities the latter’s beliefs and traditions. Saint Valentine’s Day is a case in point. We celebrate two Saints days in Australia which occur throughout the Western World. Saint Valentine and Saint Patrick. Despite being a country with a strong British heritage, and one that continues, the saints, George, Andrew and David, are forgotten, despite being the patron saints of England, Scotland and Wales respectively. Ironically they make up the Union Jack which is on the Australian flag but most Australians wouldn’t able to explain the meaning our flag either. Patrick is seen as representative of Ireland and a reason to celebrate what is great about Ireland and general Irish-ness. Also the fact that he was Welsh and helped convert the Irish to Christianity is largely forgotten.

Australia also has one native saint now in St. Mary Mackillop (admittedly only recent so no chance to grow in national celebration and very unlikely to) and THREE patron saints. Of which no one would have any clue to their names, let alone their lives. There is only one official patron, the Blessed Virgin, but we have also had St. Francis Xavier and St. Therese of Lisieux both patrons of universal missions. The fact that by a quirk of Western history which Australians wouldn’t on the whole would be able to explain (High immigration to Australia by the Irish) we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or (Because largely of romantic literature of the Middle Ages and its effect upon Christian society of the time) St. Valentine’s Day.

What however St. Valentine’s and Saint Patrick’s does offer, along with the great festivals of Christmas and Easter, a chance to put forward the Gospel. I sincerely believe that with Hot Cross Buns (for Americans, rolls with crosses on the top eaten traditionally on Good Friday) and the incessant amount of carols played at shops over Christmas the Holy Ghost can use such simple things as buns and carols to draw people to Himself, to get them thinking, to get them questioning and asking what Easter and Christmas are all about. Our thoughts should be turned to praying that the little left we have in the forms of public expressions of Christianity can be used by God, and that people may be stirred to either at Christmas or Easter attend church or merely look up the meaning behind the days. We are lucky here in Australia that Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are public holidays enabling people the chance to attend services but also ensuring that they are at the centre of Australian society. ANZAC Day without doubt is the national holiday, but Christmas is the high point of the year for most. Saint Valentine’s and Saint Patrick’s are both highly publicised, though not public holidays, and serve as opportunities to bring up our faith by engaging with the resources we have to do so. I was able to share with a guy at work that among the many stories of Saint Valentine was that he was engaged with soldiers and their women being able to get married in secret defying Roman law. Such a story that paint Christianity in a positive light serve as chances to share about our faith and the religion we are a part of. They may seem trivial or not workable but every chance we have we should take.

Another thing that got me thinking on Saint Valentine’s Day were the amount of single people I met upset or trying to be content to be single on the day. This got me thinking because if in secular eyes Saint Valentine’s is all about love and showing love to the person who means the most in our lives, then surely as Christians we can use this as a day to show our love to God and to reflect on His love for us. A love that was made very clear at Calvary. As Christians we a part of the Church, the bride of Christ, we are Christ’s bride and He is our husband.  This in turn emphasises the importance of marriage in society, for mankind, and the importance of the family as a place for children to be raised and nurtured. That marriage is given definition not by what society says or a minority insists it should be, but rather created by God as a sign and symbol, perhaps the deepest we have of our relationship with God. Marriage then becoming the very definition of our relation with Him. With Christ as my husband then the need for a bride drops dramatically (though I do want to be married one day) and the emphasis of a day taken over by society can once again be used as Christians as a day at least for us to draw closer to God, and to bring glory and honour to Him. If we can do this and strive to do it with intent that will surely be the best way to honour Saint Valentine and Saint Patrick as well as providing us with another day to glorify God and to spread His name amongst the nations.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts about this. I do firmly believe that the Church should embrace the role that Saint Valentine’s plays in our societies and use it as a means of growing Christians, help them deepen their understanding their relationship with God, as well as strengthen the sacrament of marriage and the role of the family in society.

Peace and Blessings,

Brett