Minister’s Column
Last week was an unusual coincidence where Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday fell on the same day. Here’s what a clever poet said in a social media post:
Roses are red,
Ashes are gray.
There’s a smudge on your forehead,
It’s Valentine’s Day?
This brings me to Valentine’s Day. My colleague in ministry wrote this on her Facebook page: “It's a made up holiday...like most...But I think this life is too full of heartbreak to pass up any opportunity to celebrate and center Love.” And then she went on to express love—agape love—to all, to everyone on the whole internet. In popular culture Valentine’s Day seems to represent happiness, pleasure, and delight: the surface emotions of romantic love. But love has deeper meanings. Agape love, the love of all people unconditionally, is worth invoking on Valentine’s Day.
Finally, I see a connection between Lent and Valentine’s Day in the idea of sacrifice. Lent is all about giving up something you desire for a higher spiritual purpose: connection with the divine. Romantic love, celebrated on Valentine’s Day, has an element of sacrifice as well. When people get married they often talk about sacrificing for their partner in times of need. Love is deeper than red paper hearts and a box of chocolates. Commitment to a person you love (romantic), and commitment to the idea of loving all people (agape), both involve a spiritual discipline. As Unitarian Universalists, we say that Love is at the center of our faith. What would it look like for UU’s to wear a visible mark of our commitment to Love, the way Christians smudge ashes on their foreheads?
PRAYER:
May the season of Lent bring meaning and a closer connection to Jesus to all who practice this spiritual discipline.
May Love bless all of us: the love of a partner if we want to have one; the love of family and friends; self-love above all; and transcendent divine love, as abundant and unending as sunshine.
Amen.
Rev. Drew Frantz
February 20, 2024