This year, Valentine’s Day and the start of Lent falls on the same day. What does a day filled with heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and bouquets of roses have to do with a period of fasting and prayer in preparation for Easter? Instead of receiving candy and flowers, many Christians receive an ash cross on their foreheads on the first day of Lent to remind them of their mortality and sinfulness. The contrast is striking.
However, when I first realized how these holidays would interconnect, I thought of how it seemed right – a day known for love and the beginning of a time of preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Cultural observances of Valentine’s Day might clash with Lent services, but the true essence of February 14 is closer to the meaning of Lent than many recognize.
The greatest expression of love occurred when Jesus laid down His life for our sake. Because of the salvation He gives, believers cannot help but serve Him despite the risks. St. Valentine (whom Valentine’s Day is named after) only risked imprisonment and martyrdom because He was devoted to Christ.
This overlapping of Valentine’s Day and Lent can teach us more about the ultimate love we have in Christ, how a period of pain and suffering can bring redemption and joy, and that following Jesus is not a passive but active choice that influences how we live.
Love Involves Sacrifice
Despite popular depictions in movies and other media, love is not just a warm feeling. Love involves setting aside our desires and dreams for another person. When a person loves someone, he or she seeks the good of the other, placing themselves last.
Love is not easy or cheap. It can be downright difficult at times. We can only love others because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). Without the Father’s loving act of sending His Son and Jesus’ willingness to lay down His life, we would not know true love.
The ultimate act of love comes from the Lord Jesus. He said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13, NLT). That is exactly what He did when He was nailed to the cross. He laid down His life and died for us while we were still sinners to give us salvation (Romans 5:8). As the Apostle John explained, “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16, NLT). Therefore, love, at its greatest, is connected with sacrifice.
Both Lent and Valentine’s Day remind us of the significant truth that love involves sacrifice. On Ash Wednesday, many believers receive an ash cross on their foreheads, reminding them that they are dust, and to dust they will one day return (Genesis 3:19). All people are sinners, deserving of punishment (Romans 3:10-12). As sad as our state is, we deserve it because we all willingly do wrong. That is why it is amazing that Jesus, the Son of God, would come to die in our place and pay for our sins. He did so because of love.
Valentine’s Day is also related to this important lesson of love and sacrifice because Jesus calls us to follow Him, which could involve suffering and death. Many believers throughout history have experienced martyrdom because of their faith and devotion to Christ. According to Loyola Press, St. Valentine was imprisoned for helping fellow believers. Later, he was clubbed to death and beheaded because he had led the prison guard and the guard’s family to faith in Christ.
When we love Jesus, we are willing to sacrifice all, even our lives, if needed. But we only do so because He first loved us and gave Himself for us (see 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 and Galatians 2:20).
A Period of Pain and Suffering Can Bring Redemption and Joy
Another important truth that Lent and Valentine’s Day can teach us is that a time of suffering can lead to redemption and joy. During Lent, Christians prepare themselves for Easter, which celebrates Jesus’ resurrection. However, Jesus’ resurrection is connected to His sacrificial death. These events go together, as Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose to life on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
He suffered the agony of crucifixion and separation from the Father to save us from our sins. On the cross, where He suffered most, He paid the price for our rebellion and sin. As Peter wrote, quoting from Isaiah, “by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24, NIV). God took something terrible, the painful death of His Son, and used it for our good: to bring salvation and redemption to all who believe.
Throughout Lent, we are reminded of how redemption and joy came out of Jesus’ painful experience on the cross. Christians spend forty days in preparation by praying and fasting (sacrificing something to spend more time focused on God). The reminder of the physical pain that Jesus experienced is heightened on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Holy Week. Then Resurrection Sunday comes, and we experience anew the awesome truth that Jesus is risen (Luke 24:6). With immense joy, we worship and celebrate Him.
Similarly, Valentine’s Day shows us how suffering can bear spiritual fruit. When St. Valentine was in prison, he healed the prison guard’s daughter. As a result, the guard and his family all placed faith in Jesus. St. Valentine’s time in prison, which involved discomfort and pain, was not in vain. God used it to help more people hear the gospel and place faith in Him.
Loving Jesus Involves Action
The overlapping of Valentine’s Day and the start of Lent also teaches us that love for Jesus leads to action. The season of Lent is filled with reminders of what God did to redeem and restore us to a relationship with Himself. God’s love was not inactive or passive. He could have left us in our sins but did not. Instead, God the Father sent His one and only Son to die for us and rescue us from the punishment we deserve (John 3:16). Ephesians 2:4-5 tells us, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (NIV). His love led to action.
When the Apostle John discussed Jesus’ act of sacrifice, which is the very definition of love, he emphasized that we should also be willing to lay down our lives for others (1 John 3:16). Christians devoted to Jesus will gladly pour out themselves for their Lord and others. Again, we see that love leads to action.
Love motivated St. Valentine to help fellow Christians even when it was risky. He also shared Christ with others even though he was imprisoned. Like other martyrs throughout time, St. Valentine stayed faithful to Jesus even when doing so brought suffering and death. He would likely have echoed the celebration of the disciples who rejoiced “because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41, NIV).
When we love Jesus more than anyone and anything else, we will willingly give all in service to Him. Giving up dreams, items, and even our very lives is worth it since we have received something far more valuable – an eternal relationship with Jesus. Our love for Him will compel us to live with wholehearted devotion, but only because He first loved us.
What Does This Mean?
Lent begins on Valentine’s Day this year. We might think these occasions are unrelated, but they have a great deal in common, especially if we consider the historical meaning of Valentine’s Day instead of the cultural associations with the day. The overlapping of Valentine’s Day and the first day of Lent teaches us about the connection between love and sacrifice, suffering and redemption, and devotion and action.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Kara Gebhardt
Sophia Bricker is a writer. Her mission is to help others grow in their relationship with Jesus through thoughtful articles, devotionals, and stories. She completed a BA and MA in Christian ministry, which included extensive study of the Bible and theology, and an MFA in creative writing. You can follow her blog about her story, faith, and creativity at The Cross, a Pen, and a Page.