Valentine's Day Ramblings

Hat-tip to the "Catholic Gentleman" blog, for their interesting entry on St. Valentine: http://catholicgentleman.net/2014/02/14/gentleman-saint-saint-valentine/

Valentine's Day is a interesting holiday. I've always found something about the way it is currently celebrated to be, in a way, off-putting. This is not to say I dislike the concept of a romantic holiday- I think it's a nice idea. I would however, posit that the current, over-commercialized frenzy of tacky cards and sweets is not the best way to celebrate love.

Many excellent bloggers have already tackled this subject at great length over the years, so perhaps I am merely rehashing an already well-hashed topic. Still, it's a quiet, damp cold winter day in Michigan, and I'm in a mood to ramble, so.......

People seem to more conflicted - or perhaps divided - about celebrating Valentine's Day then they do for just about any other holiday that I can think of at the moment. Many single folks hate it for shining the spot-light on their singleness (single's awareness day!)... those in relationships often feel they have to live up to some societal standard (real or imagined), to "prove" their love.....

Many people feel it's degenerated into little more then a feeding frenzy for large corporations, who have sucked any authentic romance out of the holiday, and thus refuse to celebrate it as a form of social protest. I happen to have a certain sympathy for this viewpoint. Others might agree that it is too commercialized, but still like having a special day marked out for their significant other. I can sympathize with this stance too.

As Catholics, however, we are called to be in the world, but not of it, and I think Valentine's Day is a fascinating opportunity to put that into action.

As I said before, I see nothing wrong with the concept of a special day for couples to celebrate their love. That being said, there is an aspect of Valentine's Day (apart from the creeping consumerism) which leaves me troubled. Simply put, that it's too easy.

Many guys seem to have a mindset that going out to the mall and buying some fancy chocolates and a few roses constitutes "love". I disagree. Bl. John Paul once said this: "Love is a constant challenge, thrown to us by God.". True love is more than fuzzy feelings, but rather, as I heard it once said, "consciously and actively willing the good of the other". I wonder sometimes how many men out there, who are in relationships or marriages make an effort to celebrate Valentine's Day, but then do barely anything for the remaining 364 days of the year.... or worse, make an effort for this day, but then revert back to treating their girlfriends/wives in ways that are far from loving.

This is a post aimed mostly at men. So, I would challenge my fellow dudes out there to a little challenge: should you be lucky enough to have a girlfriend or wife, by all means, celebrate Valentine's Day! It's fun to have one day in particular set aside to honor your significant other. But don't stop there. If Valentine's Day is, in fact, about the celebration of love, then try to do something each week to show appreciation for your girlfriend/wife. Don't take the easy way out and leave it to one day a year. If you have an artistic bent, make her a handmade card once in a while. Leave her a note where she'll find it later. If you're married, clean up after dinner so she doesn't have to (or better yet, try your hand at actually cooking a dinner!). Surprise her with something- a hug, a cup of coffee or coca, something that you don't ordinarily think of.

Evan and I will be exploring chivalry and it's role today in some future posts. So for you men out there, bring chivalry back. Take the hard road, and consciously, actively will the good of your girlfriend or wife, each and every day.