This month we celebrate a day dedicated to the importance of love: Valentine’s Day. Yes, Valentine’s Day is universally devoted to romantic love, but there are other types of love that we must remember to celebrate. Let’s not forget the whole season of love that just concluded – the Christmas season, when we celebrate that God so loved the whole world that He gave His only Son.
In middle school I felt privileged that I was asked to join the high-schoolers and take part in the musical ensemble for the Norwich Free Academy’s on-stage Christmas tableaux. The one song I have always remembered from that performance was Sandi Patty’s, “The Gift Goes On.” For those of you unfamiliar with this song, the refrain is this: “The Father gave the Son; The Son gave the Spirit; The Spirit gives us life so we can give the Gift of Love; And the Gift goes on; And the Gift goes on.” I love the simple way these lyrics illustrate the perfect circle of love that connects us to God.
The greatest gift we can ever give another human being is to show them love. I am not referring to just romantic love, but love in the sense of kindness, understanding, forgiveness, and so on. It is the kind of love that we should share with everyone – the young and old, the sick and forgotten. It is the kind of love God has given us since the beginning of time and continues to bestow on us.
What I really like is the lyric of the song that says, “The Spirit gives us life so we can give the Gift of Love.” When we are baptized as Catholics we are bathed in the Holy Spirit. I have an old birthday card that I saved from my grandmother in which she wrote, “May the Holy Spirit always dwell in your heart.” My gram, as a rule, made sure to often remind everyone of the Holy Spirit’s presence. I keep this card from her close to me and read it often to remind myself that the Holy Spirit does live in me, and in all our hearts – we just need to remember it is there. There is so much going on around us in this world that we all need to be reminded often that we are never alone, and always loved.
This Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to call on the Holy Spirit to help you show love, kindness, or forgiveness to someone who isn’t expecting it from you. Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you. There can be so many ways to show others you care. Visiting the lonely, bringing candy or homemade cards to convalescent homes and shelters are great ways to get children involved, too. And while you have the kids involved, make sure you let them know what my gram wanted them to know, that the Holy Spirit will always dwell in their hearts and guide them with love throughout their lives.
By Marianne Nicholas