Joyous Feast!
I never realised how much meaning this day has for so much of the Christian world. In the West we celebrate St. Valentine, or rather Sts. Valentine as I believe there were three of them from different parts of the West Roman world (all martyrs?). In the lands of the Slavs we celebrate St. Cyril the Apostle to the Slavs, brother and colaborer of St. Mefodiy the Apostle to the Slavs. And in the Levant (the coastlands of southeastern Anatolia, Syria, and Lebanon) we celebrate St. Maron the Hermit, the descendants of whose followers today constitute one of the largest Uniate churches in the world and the largest Christian church in Lebanon.
In the modern USA we celebrate Valentine's Day. Apparently this new Valentine was into cheesy gifts, sappiness, and heart-shaped candies, 'cause all three things are widely manifested during this time of the year. Not bad things certainly, but kind of disjointed considering no one remembers the martyrs anymore, just the thing they stood for (deep, true love; love for God and one's neighbor).
Since it's heart day though, I'm going to include an image I've found quite beautiful. I'm hardly Roman Catholic as all of you should know by now, but I've found their image of the Sacred Heart quite touching. The devotions associated with it seem sort of misfocused, but the image of the Sacred Heart itself is beautiful. I hope you're touched by the picture in this post as much as I have been.
Пока!
In the modern USA we celebrate Valentine's Day. Apparently this new Valentine was into cheesy gifts, sappiness, and heart-shaped candies, 'cause all three things are widely manifested during this time of the year. Not bad things certainly, but kind of disjointed considering no one remembers the martyrs anymore, just the thing they stood for (deep, true love; love for God and one's neighbor).
Since it's heart day though, I'm going to include an image I've found quite beautiful. I'm hardly Roman Catholic as all of you should know by now, but I've found their image of the Sacred Heart quite touching. The devotions associated with it seem sort of misfocused, but the image of the Sacred Heart itself is beautiful. I hope you're touched by the picture in this post as much as I have been.
Пока!