Well, the feast of “love” has arrived again. Lovers should read Part I of Deus caritas est and memorize, that is, learn by “heart,” the meanings of eros and agape. Possessive love is only fully joyful and gratifying when it is first sacrificial love.
Luv, luv, luv. Talk is cheap. Flowers and chocolate are more expensive. Nice signs if they are backed up with action. Indeed, real action (fidelity, honesty, courtesy, courage, generosity) always speaks louder than words, flowers or chocolate.
Pope Benedict knew exactly what he was doing when he exploded the romantic myth about sex on demand. If only people would listen to him, rather than to Dan Brown, the merchants of death, and the sexploitative advertisers and media.
Here is chivalry at its best from the Golden Legend concerning St. Valentine:
Valentine is as much to say as containing valour that is perseverant in great holiness. Valentine is said also as a valiant knight, for he was a right noble knight of God, and the knight is said valiant that fleeth not, and smiteth and defendeth valiantly and overcometh much puissantly. And so Saint Valentine withdrew him not from his martyrdom in fleeing, he smote in destroying the idols, he defended the faith, he overcame in suffering.
Mary Victrix 
I wonder what the general public would do if everyone started advertising for “St. Valentines” day?
Ave Maria!
I can confirm that the remains of St. Valetine rest in the Carmelite (O.Carm) church in Whitefriar St., Dublin…Ireland! The relics were presented to the Irish Carmelite Province by one of the Popes in the 19th. Century.Many engaged couples still go there to pray at the shrine.
Whitefriar St. Church (as it is popularly known to us Dubs) is the biggest Catholic church in Dublin, home to the shrine of Our Lady of Dublin (that’s another story) and the church where the late Archbisop Fulton Sheen gave a retreat (on St. Therese of Lisieux, I believe) a few years before he died.
I promise that none of the above is “blarney”!!
Fra Solanus Mary, New Bedford, MA.
I can confirm that Fra Solanus is not making it up. That is not to say; however, that he is not full of the blarney.
The next thing he will be telling us, I am sure, is that St. Patrick was Irish and that St. Columba, not Columbus, discovered America.