What has the juxtaposition of the start of Lent and Valentine Day got to do with the days of moral free falls? Theodore Roosevelt said, ‘to educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.’ Moral decline begins when transcendent moral values, which have proven to be beneficial over time, are discarded in preference to various ideas which man finds more conducive to achieving our sin-tainted human nature – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1Jn 2:16).

According to a Catholic legend, St Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. One of Valentine’s favourite duties as a priest was to marry people according to God’s command. The reflection is that sometimes it is dangerous to stand up against injustice, hatred, and prejudice. Sometimes it is difficult to oppose the world’s view of things. Sometimes it’s difficult to proclaim the truth of God’s Love, and that is what St. Valentine did! It is not always easy to stand for Jesus. It was not easy for Valentine. One night, Valentine did hear footsteps at his door. The couple he was marrying escaped, but he was caught. Valentine paid for what he want for what his loved one wanted (marriage). On the day Valentine was to die, he left a note for one of the young people that visited him, thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, “Love from your Valentine.” That note started the custom of exchanging love notes on Valentine’s Day. It was written on the day he died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember St Valentine who gave up his head for the Truth, for the Cross, for the Lent and not just his palm branches. True Valentine is not just a lavish demonstration of earthly affection for one another with cards, candy, flowers and dinner invitation. Flowers will die. Candy gets eaten. Balloons will pop. Stuffed animals may stop singing. Cards may get lost or thrown away (Is 54:10).

Lent and Valentine Day has to do with the state of our hearts. Just as Valentine Day can be used as an act of crass consumerism and absurdity of romantic love, Lent too can be used as a superficial devotion or a self-righteous legalism. Lent and Valentine Day points to a time to look inside at how we love God and man. Lent and Valentine Day calls us to check whether our priorities are out of line because our love is out of line. St Valentine was not short of God’s love or afraid of the Emperor. True love rejoice in Truth just as St Valentine did. Righteousness is predicated on Truth, the Word of God, hence Lent and Valentine day should work on Truth and rejoice in Truth.

It may be easy to blame Hollywood for giving false impression about love or photoshop giving unrealistic impressions of beauty and sex. Lent and Valentine Day calls for repentance from ‘do-your-own-thing morality,’ and to stop the increasing assault by the popular culture on the Christian common sense and the common values. Lent and Valentine Day awakens us to repent from misguided theologies calling good evil, and evil good (Is 5:20, Jer 2:8; 5:13; 3:25). St. Valentine loved God enough to die for God’s Truth. Jesus fasted for 40 days in preparation for his death and Resurrection. What better way to celebrate Lent and Valentine Day than to commit or recommit your life to Jesus as you Lord and Saviour? Please, pray for healing of homes and marriages.