We associate it with candy and flowers. The side of Valentine’s Day we rarely see is the side in which its true power resides.
We have associated love with Valentine for centuries. Which was always the point. But the example of love we receive from the saint we know as Valentine resonates beyond romance. Flowers and candy can’t cut it.
Valentine was executed by the state for breaking the law. A law forbidding soldiers from marrying. A law written because the emperor believed married soldiers would be less effective. In short, more attached and less violent.
The emperor forbade love because it might prevent war.
We are offered an image here of a rebellious love. Not one contained in flowers or chocolates, but in generosity and sacrifice. And because God is love, then we are sharing in God’s transformative power.