“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14)
Who doesn’t like chocolate? Who doesn’t have a craving for cocoa every once in a while? I know I do!
I saw on Facebook today a quote about St. Valentine: how he suffered and was mistreated then beheaded for his faith, and somehow now to commemorate his day (February 14), we give people chocolates. Go figure.
Or, how about these names? Recognize any of them? Frank Gusenberg, Pete Gusenberg, John May, Albert Weinshank, James Clark, Adam Heyer, and Dr. Reinhart Schwimmer.
No, they weren’t old baseball players, nor were they Olympic speed skaters or skiers.
They were the men who were killed in 1929 in the city of Chicago—men who were part of organized crime and were killed by other gangsters. It’s a sad day in that respect for any type of celebration on February 14.
And cupid? Where in the world did we ever get such an idea of this creature? He has, in recent years, appeared as a chubby, innocent little angel, firing love darts (arrows, really) into the tushes (well, okay, maybe into hearts) of humans who uncontrollably fall in love, usually with the first person they see. Gee, how dangerous is that?
Cupid appears as what is commonly known as a cherub. In a number of pieces of art, this angel is painted as a short, almost chunky little child, helpless—with a longing to “do good” on his face. This connection with Valentine’s Day is also interesting when you google what a cherub really looks like according to more ancient thought. The Cherubim (from Cherub) and Seraphim were more warrior-like creatures that protected the heavens – powerful, mighty, and fearsome, and, sorry to say, not always so handsome to look at…in fact, scary!
The best way, I suppose then, to keep the day of St. Valentine, would be to keep it like any other God-given, God-blessed day: following Paul’s words from Colossians, to work for harmony in all things by “clothing ourselves in love.” How shall we do this?
By seeing Christ in every one we meet; by keeping our feet on the ground and our heads out of the clouds and see people for who they potentially are – children of God – and treat them accordingly!
As the Golden Rule states, isn’t that how we want to be treated? Kindly, fairly, and compassionately? Keep that in mind the next time you disagree or get into an argument with someone else. The best valentine to give another comes in the form of a smile, an offer of help, or a cup of cool water. You can do this. You can share this belated valentine with anyone. And who knows? It might just change the world!
Remember that God loves you, and, so do we!
Pastor Jim