What is Love?

Every time I hear this phrase, What is love? I ask it in the way it’s sung by Haddaway.

But it's important to ask as tomorrow's not only St Valentine’s Day, but also Ash Wednesday, marking the start of Lent.

I've got to admit, like many Catholics, I see this year’s Valentine’s Day as a day with a gloomy overshadowing, as the restrictions that come with the Lenten season start to take place. With a day of fasting and food limits, the opportunity to truly celebrate a prominent feast day is minimal.

St Valentine’s Day is all about love. Our society thirsts for love, we all want to be loved, whoever we may be. It is fitting to want to be loved because that’s what we were made for. God created man in his own image to love and to be loved. Love is the centre of Christianity.

St Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, ”I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.“

(1 Corinthians 13:1 GNT).

The season of Lent can feel overwhelming to us, in different ways, but if we dive deep, the whole purpose of Lent, Good Friday and Easter is love. And not just a loose term, but the greatest love that we can ever receive. The laying down of one’s life for our redemption.

Our Lord formed us out of dust so we can live with him. The dust also reminds us that we will return to dust after we die. This concept, even though it’s kind of a downer, makes us remember that our lives are short and temporary. This gives us the opportunity to ponder on our lives and what’s important to us. I do wonder, if we remember our mortality, if we would treat people differently.

The cross of ashes represents Jesus sacrificial death for our sake but also his conquer of death. We reflect on these things on Ash Wednesday. There is no other love like the one of our Lord. So therefore, I find it fitting that Ash Wednesday falls on the same day as our society focuses on the meaning of love.

So, despite Valentine’s Day falling on a day of penance and fasting, try not to be discouraged to celebrate either occasion. The purpose of both occasions is Love, and even though treats such as chocolates or fancy dinners may not be on the cards this year depending on your view of Lent, we can still show love in a deep and profound way.