Hastings: Of ashes and valentines

“Jesus summoned the crowd and the disciples and said, ‘If you wish to come after me, you must deny your very self, take up your cross and follow in my footsteps. If you would save your life, you’ll lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you’ll save it.’” — Mark 8:34-35 The Inclusive Bible

When I noticed that Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day are on the same day this year, I wondered, “How will that work?” Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, a time of reflection on the way of the cross, the pathway to Easter’s Alleluia. And Valentine’s Day has become a celebration of romantic love in our culture.

But a closer look at the origin of Valentine’s Day suggests it began as a Christian feast day, Saint Valentine’s Day, in honor of a martyr named Valentine. Saint Valentine of Rome was imprisoned for ministering to Christians who were being persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century. Valentine is said to have performed weddings for Christian soldiers even though the Empire forbade marriage for soldiers. Another legend says Valentine cut out hearts from parchment and gave them to soldiers and to persecuted Christians to remind them of God’s love.

While in prison, Saint Valentine restored the sight of the jailer’s blind daughter which led the jailer’s household of 46 to become Christians. Before his execution, Saint Valentine is said to have written a farewell letter to the jailer’s daughter and signed it “Your Valentine.”

Meanwhile, those who observe Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, ponder the more somber aspects of faith in which the Promised One broke religious rules which were not in keeping with divine love in order to heal the sick, lift heavy burdens and bless all God’s children — all the while knowing this would cause him to suffer much, be rejected by religious leaders, be put to death and rise again three days later. And he invited all who would follow him to live into the mystery of self-giving love: “If you would save your life, you’ll lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you’ll save it.”

Both Ash Wednesday and Saint Valentine’s Day invite reflection on the mysterious power of self-giving love.

The Rev. Celia M. Hastings has a master’s degree in religious education from Western Theological Seminary in Holland. She is author of “The Wisdom Series” and “The Undertaker’s Wife.”

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Hastings: Of ashes and valentines