…or, according to Medieval thinkers in England and France, it was the first day of mating for birds. And since St. Valentine is considered the saint for beekeepers….well, now we know. So go ahead and send a note of love regarding the “birds and the bees.” We’ve been doing that since the 1400s (Charles, Duke of Orleans in France wrote to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, back in 1415).
However, he is also the patron saint for people suffering from epilepsy. I think that’s apt; epilepsy is “a chronic disorder, the hallmark of which is recurrent, unprovoked seizures.” If you’ve ever known anyone deeply in love (and hopefully that would be you), their expression for love or for their loved one can seen as some sort of seizure (not at all to make light of the disease). The actions of a lover can be extreme, passionate, action without clear logical thought…just a random act. The lover who drives through the night to surprise the beloved. Who comes to the window at night to sing a song. Who spends far more money than they currently have for a gift that probably isn’t needed.
But love is, of course, far more than that. Paul wrote it best:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Writing to Corinth, one of the major Greek city, one that continued its resurgence under Roman rule, Paul has decided at this point it is necessary to remind the metropolitan citizens that love is not about showing off one’s own self, but in the giving sacrificially of self to another.
That’s why when we really want to see true love, we look to the lover tending the ill beloved, who in no way can return the love through action or through looks. 
We look at the one who sacrifices sleep to rise early with the beloved who has a job requiring such hours. We see the one who does the dirty work of home tending like the washing or the mowing or the grocery buying without complaint so that the beloved is cared for.
Many people today are worried at our culture at it continues its slide into the Great Crisis, especially at the rise of the casualness of violence, rudeness and a general incivility towards one another. The answer, many claim, is usually from the Beatles song, “all we need is love.” Yes…I think that is accurate. All we do need is love. But that word can mean a lot of different things, which is why understanding it starts with knowing Who love is and what He means by love.
But knowing isn’t enough…it means doing. If you say you have love, but then act in hatred toward another, you are a liar. If you claim your action is justified because the other person is horrid, go take a look in the mirror…I can promise that you, to someone, is equally as horrid (I know I am that to some…heck, go ask a few of my students).
Love demands you act instead with mercy, with kindness. It demands you sacrifice yourself, whether in giving up your own time or wishes for another, or learning to see that this “horrid” person who you think has “hatred in their heart” might just be someone scared about the world, sad at some loss (real or perceived) or simply acting out poorly through confusion. Or, sure, they could just be a jerk. Regardless, love does not keep a record of wrongs nor does it act out of selfishness…not even a selfishness disguised as a “noble protection against” some evil.
I hope you love someone. I hope you send them a note or call them on the phone. But I also pray that you use this day to look with new eyes at the situations around you. Find someone who you disagree with, and instead of engaging in an argument or some flame war on social media…send them a Valentine, a message of love.