Love Endures Forever

My daughter recently said Valentine's Day is a Hallmark card holiday to make money. In the liturgical calendar, Valentine's Day is a Christian celebration of Saint Valentine of Rome. However, I agree with my daughter that those expensive cards, boxes of candy, and flowers can run up credit card bills as people demonstrate affection for others with the secular celebration.

However, I want to take this time to remind the Church of Christ that we celebrate love daily. We celebrate the love of God through Jesus Christ. As we observe and participate in Valentine's Day celebrations, let's remember that God has given us eternal love.

God loved us so much that when we broke up with God, a heartbroken God spent time trying to reconcile with us. Through teachers of the Law, rituals, the Judges, and Prophets, God offered us opportunities to come back into a Divine relationship. Finally, God decided to come to us in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ spoke with us, taught us, touched us, healed us, cried over us. Jesus suffered with us and even died for us. With an agape (Holy Love) stronger than death, God raised Jesus from the dead to demonstrate that God's love for us ushers us into eternity.

So the quote from Mother Teresa is one that we can honor for ourselves in February. We know how much God is in love with each one of us. With that knowledge, we can have to offer the gift of agape (Holy Love)to others. Let's radiate love. Let's reveal love. Let's speak love. Let's reenact God's love in all relationships.

Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Psalm 136:26: Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

John 3:16: God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so whichever one of us believe in him would have eternal life.