Valentine’s
Day/world marriage day
Psalm
128, Verse 1-4:
1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD, and who walk in his ways. 2 What your hands
provide you will enjoy; you will be blessed and prosper: 3 Your wife will be
like a fruitful vine within your home, your children like young olive plants
around your table.4
Just so will the man be blessed who fears
the LORD.
Those who fear the
Lord work to not react to their feelings but act from the principle of God’s
unconditional love to empower others even at personal cost. They practice the
three cardinal virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. The act of blessing works
both ways and bless’ all; both those who receive and those who give.
This psalm is a statement that the ever-reliable God
will bless the reverent. God’s blessing is concrete: satisfaction and
prosperity, a fertile spouse and abundant children. The perspective is that of
the adult male, ordinarily the ruler and representative of the household to the
community. The last verses extend the blessing to all the people for
generations to come.[1]
Valentine's Day is a celebration of love and friendship.
The holiday derived its name from two Roman martyrs for love, both named
Valentine. The first Valentine was beheaded on February 14th, but not
before leaving a note signed from your Valentine for his lady. The second
Valentine was supposedly a bishop who secretly married young couples, an act
that was forbidden by the Roman Emperor who wanted young men to first serve as
soldiers before marrying. Valentine ignored the law and was beheaded on
February 14. An ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia, a celebration for
which young men randomly chose the name of a young girl
to escort to the festivities, has also been linked to the origins of
Valentine's Day. Since then, the custom of selecting a sweetheart on February
14th has spread through Europe and its colonies and transformed itself into the
celebration of love and friendship that we know today.
Valentine's
Day Facts & Quotes
·
According
to the National Retail Federation, the projected total Valentine's Day spending
for 2018 was $19.6 billion. The average person was projected to spend $143.56.
Candy was the most popular gift, and the most money was spent on jewelry.
·
Symbols
for Valentine's day include hearts, chocolate, flowers, and
Cupid - the Roman God of Love.
·
52%
of US consumers will send out at least 1 Valentine's Day card, 47% will send
candy, and 34% will send flowers.
·
Love
looks not with the eyes but with the mind. And therefore, is winged Cupid
painted blind. - William
Shakespeare (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
Valentine's
Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Send
someone you care for a Valentine's Day card. Take the time to write a small
note or love poem inside. Sign it, from your Valentine.
·
Go
to a special romantic dinner with your sweetheart. Tip: Book early as
this is one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants.
·
Watch
the movie Valentine's Day (2010) or the Notebook (2004). Both are
romance movies with star casts.
·
Send
a Secret Valentine to someone several days before, and then reveal your
identity on February 14th.
·
Remember
other important people in your life, such as your parents, grandparents and old
friends. Send them a small card or gift to remind them of how much you care.
Catholic Things
to Do[3]
·
Read
the Golden
Legend account of St. Valentine's life.
·
Pray
to St. Valentine for an increase of true, sacrificial love within marriages.
·
Make
Valentines for those closest to you — your family and friends. If you have
children, teach them to make valentines from red construction paper and
doilies.
·
Begin
to read and discuss some of St. John Paul II's works on marriage; for example, Love and Responsibility or his The Theology of the Body Human Love in the Divine Plan (Parish
Resources).
The
Two Ends or Purposes of Marriage
Marriage has two fundamental ends or purposes towards
which it is oriented, namely, the good of the spouses as well as the
procreation of children. Thus, the Church teaches that marriage is both unitive
and procreative, and that it is inseparably both.
Unitive
Pope John Paul II ‘s theology of the body speaks of
the human body as having a spousal significance. This means that the human body
by its very nature signifies that we humans are directed to relationship—that
we are to seek union with others. For it is only in relationship that we
achieve a true wholeness as a communion of persons. Before Eve was created,
Adam was alone. His joy upon perceiving Eve indicated that with Eve he achieved
the―original unity that human nature seeks. God clearly made human beings to
love and to be loved, to be in relationships wherein the act of giving oneself
and receiving the other becomes complete. In this context, the word ―original
means not only that these experiences go back to the dawn of human history but,
more importantly, that they are key
to understanding our most basic human experiences. The experience of Adam and
Eve speaks powerfully to our search not only to understand ourselves but also
to love and be loved, to be in a relationship of love with a person of the
opposite sex. God established marriage so that man and woman could participate
in his love and thus selflessly give themselves to each other in love. A man
and a woman who by their act of consent are no longer two but one flesh (see Mt
19:6ff.) render mutual help and service to each other through an intimate union
of their persons and of their actions.―My lover belongs to me and I to him
(Song 2:16; see Song6:3).With all the dignity and simplicity of poetry, the
Bride in the Song of Songs sings of the unitive meaning of married love.―You
have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride. . . . How beautiful is your love!
(Song 4:9-10). So responds the Bridegroom of the Song, overcome with the wonder
of conjugal love that is extended to him by the Bride. This is the love that is
strong as death (see Song 8:6b). Just as beautifully, Tobiah prays with his
wife, Sarah, on their wedding night, awestruck at the mercy of the God of their
fathers, that is, the God of the covenant, in bringing them together in a union
of true conjugal love: Blessed are you, O God of our fathers; praised be your
name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you
forever. You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to be his help and
support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, ―It is not good
for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself. Now, Lord, you
know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble
purpose. Call down your mercy on me and on her and allow us to live together to
a happy old age. (Tb 8:5-7) The love that is as strong as death is the love
that prays and praises, caught up into divine love.
Procreative
It is the nature of love to overflow, to be
life-giving. Thus, it is no surprise that marriage is ordained not only to
growing in love but to transmitting life: ―by its very nature the institution
of marriage and married love [is]ordered to the procreation and education of
the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory. Married love
itself is ordered to the procreation of children, for, after all, the first
command given to Adam and Eve is―be fertile and multiply (Gn 1:28). Tobiah ‘s
prayer, even as it asks for a happy and lifelong union, remembers that the
human race descended from Adam and Eve. His prayer for happiness certainly
includes, even if implicitly, a prayer for offspring. God indeed sends the
couple seven sons (Tb 14:3) and long life (Tb 14:14). Again, in the words of
the Second Vatican Council: Children are the supreme gift of marriage. . ..
Without intending to underestimate the other ends of marriage, it must be said
that true married love and the family life which flows from it have this end in
view: that the spouses would cooperate generously with the love of the Creator
and Savior, who through them will in due time increase and enrich his family.
Children are a gift in a myriad of ways. They bring joy even in the midst of
heartaches; they give added direction to the lives of their parents. Children,
who are the fruit of love and meaningful commitment, are a cause of love and
meaning. It is true that some marriages will not result in procreation due to
infertility, even though the couple is capable of the natural act by which
procreation takes place. Indeed, this situation often comes as a surprise and
can be a source of deep disappointment, anxiety, and even great suffering for a
husband and wife. When such tragedy affects a marriage, a couple may be tempted
to think that their union is not complete or truly blessed. This is not true.
The marital union of a man and a woman is a distinctive communion of persons.
An infertile couple continues to manifest this attribute. Even when their
child-bearing years have passed, a couple should continue to be life-affirming.
They can do this by staying involved in the lives of young people, and
especially their grandchildren, as spiritual mentors, teachers, and wisdom
figures. They can also continue to be nurturing through the exercise of care
for those who are needy, disabled, or pushed to the margins of society, and by
their support for or participation in works of charity and justice.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
You are afraid of
penance?... Of penance, which will help you to obtain Life everlasting. And
yet, in order to preserve this poor present life, don't you see how men will
submit to all the cruel torture of a surgical operation?
Daily Devotions
[3]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-02-14
[5]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
Comments
Post a Comment