How do YOU take back St. Valentine’s Day?

By Tonia Long

No sooner have the Christmas decorations been taken down than we are surrounded by pink hearts and red roses – St. Valentine’s Day is upon us. Labeled a “Hallmark holiday,” the feast named after a martyr of the Church has lost much of its true meaning. Holy Mother Church has instituted these special days for our edification and sanctification. They are part of our Catholic heritage and are being stripped of their meaning – especially for our younger generation. And what I propose is this: Let’s take back our Catholic holidays! It can be as simple as what my mother used to do. You can do it too, for your family and friends. Take St. Valentine’s Day, for exam

No sooner have the Christmas decorations been taken down than we are surrounded by pink hearts and red roses – St. Valentine’s Day is upon us. Labeled a “Hallmark holiday,” the feast named after a martyr of the Church has lost much of its true meaning. Holy Mother Church has instituted these special days for our edification and sanctification. They are part of our Catholic heritage and are being stripped of their meaning – especially for our younger generation. And what I propose is this: Let’s take back our Catholic holidays! It can be as simple as what my mother used to do. You can do it too, for your family and friends. Take St. Valentine’s Day, for example.

What I looked forward to the most was the candy – what child wouldn’t?!? My mom would hide chocolate hearts all around our living room. Each heart had a Scripture quote taped to it. We would have sooo much fun searching for our candy! Then, using much restraint, we would read out our Scripture quote (which always had something to do with God’s love for us) before eating the chocolate.

Lessons learned:

**Good things come to those who search for them.

**If you are looking for love, you will find it in the Holy Scriptures.

After the excitement, Mom would settle us down for story time (no small task!). It was the same story every time, but it never got old. By the end of it, we knew just whose feast day it was and why! He was our Super Hero!

And last, but not least, came the Valentine cards. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbors looked forward to these homemade gems every year. By the time we finished making them, there was paper, glue, glitter and holy cards everywhere!

So, how do YOU take back St. Valentine’s Day?

It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3:

1.Share the Holy Scriptures: There’s a lot of love in there!

2.Tell a short story about St. Valentine. (see below)

3.Click on the link or any of the cards you see below and spread TRUE LOVE – No true love is sustained without the help of grace.

This is your Catholic Faith – your children’s heritage! Don’t let it become just another “Hallmark holiday.”