Another Side to Love

On St. Valentine's Day we honor our loved ones with cards, flowers and candy and everything pretty and sweet.

But as Christians we know there is another side to love, one that is painful, bitter and ugly by outward appearances. It is the image of our crucified Lord, the true face of love. We heard about this love in last Sunday's Mass readings: "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified," St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians.

Couples and others would recognize this love. It's the love that allows a person to keep loving an unfaithful spouse, to suffer through pain and death with a loved one, to love someone when they're unreasonable and so hard to love. It is indeed Christ's love for us, His spouse. 

"I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt," Pope Francis wrote in his Lenten message for us, because he knows real love requires sacrifice. God's entire plan for our salvation rests on this notion of love.

"God’s becoming man is a great mystery!" the pope wrote. "But the reason for all this is His love, a love which is grace, generosity, a desire to draw near, a love which does not hesitate to offer itself in sacrifice for the beloved. Charity, love, is sharing with the one we love in all things. Love makes us similar, it creates equality, it breaks down walls and eliminates distances. God did this with us."

Please spoil your loved ones today with all kinds of sweetness and beauty -- and love them every day the way Christ loved us. Remember the real St. Valentine, a priest and martyr who followed Love to the cross.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.