Reclaiming the Spiritual Aspect of Valentine’s Day
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One mark of saints is that they refuse to conform to the ways of the world! As bishop, St. Francis de Sales made an unpopular decision of his own, because he believed it would safeguard the souls of his flock.
According to Michael de la Bedoyere’s account,
“It was only the second month of his episcopate, and Bishop Francis de Sales publicly forbade the strongly entrenched custom of sending Valentines!
Why?
It appears that the custom locally had led to a good deal of impropriety and sin, because not only did the young and single have their Valentines, but the married also, (and not their spouses). This was certainly not good for maintaining harmony among married couples since the duties of escorting one’s Valentine to dances and entertainments were taken seriously.”
As a “substitute”, St. Francis de Sales encouraged Catholics to pick a saint as their spiritual Valentine, and pray to that saint throughout the year! Perhaps this is spiritual practice that we would do well to adopt!
To prepare for Sunday’s chat, please read the article, “Salesian Valentines Day”, from our archives!
In our Living Jesus Chat Room this Sunday, we will discuss these points:
- We may feel that many religious holidays are corrupted today by materialism and secularism. Is this a new problem, or something the Church has always had to deal with?
- St. Francis de Sales’ ban on sending Valentines was not popular! Does this remind you of some of the Church’s stances today? Should the Church try to create a better image for itself?
- How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day, and what spiritual practices could you include?
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