Today is supposed to be the day we celebrate love. The historical person known as St. Valentine is, like many others of the early church, shrouded in myth and mystery. This is a day to celebrate love – not just romantic love but love in all its forms. Caring for the victims of Epstein’s horrendous abuse is one way to show love to others.
In spite of wearing a cross to show her religious devotion, AG Pam Bondi not only defended the redactions in the most recent release of the Epstein files, but did not even have the decency to face the victim survivors in the Congressional hearing room who had been abused. At least Mark Zuckerberg turned and faced family member of social media victims and apologized.
How do we show Christian love to the most marginalized in our society? Certainly not by either blaming victim survivors or ignoring them, or by not redacting their names o nude photos while protecting the rich and powerful. You have to wonder what St. Valentine would have said about Christian love at such a hearing.
Prayer for the Day
You have created us, O gracious God, in your image,
The image of love and concern for the world around us;
You have endowed us, O Source of being, with soul and mind,
A soul and mind to consider all that is around us in your world;
Energize us, as we continue on our journey to answer your call
By serving the many who need our help and assistance,
In the name of the One who reached out to those in need,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thoughts for the Day
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher (6th century BCE)
Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.
Zelda Fitzgerald, American writer (1900-1948)
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes al things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13: 8