Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. People are starting to prepare something for their loved ones, going online for deliveries of flowers, chocolates, and little plushies. Humans are sticklers for routine and rituals. The pandemic has made us rethink about celebrating rituals and milestones. Valentine’s Day is no exception. Just as Christmas was borne of Love, Valentine’s Day, being a martyr’s day, can be a good reminder of heroic love: that of giving one’s life for others.

The human person was created in God’s image and likeness. And we know that God is LOVE so by our relation to Him, we, too, are called to be God-like in loving. That is our mission in this life.

We see God’s love in everything He created! From spring waters that flow down the mountains, joining the brooks, then to the streams, to the rivers, and ending up in the ocean… it is all harmony and selflessness. The warm sunshine evaporates ocean water into clouds, thus returning the abundance of water to the earth to nourish the land, plants, and animals. Our Father in heaven entrusted all of this to us human beings.

He created the family for humankind because, just as humans are the most helpless animals as infants, He knew that love is born and nourished FIRST in the family. Nature takes care of itself, but humans were tasked with making sure all creatures are nourished, propagated, and sustained. There is a synergy between humans and nature, human beings and other humans, humans and God. These relationships are all founded on love.

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has affected every living creature on the planet: some for the better, others for the worse. If there is any valuable lesson that humanity took away from the experience, it is that 2020 was a special moment to assess and reflect on what our lives have become. The year 2020 was The Great Reset, the big Pause button, the Stopover. Many people realized that all the frivolities of consumerist trappings were unnecessary, after all. Humans learned to look after family, next-door neighbors, friends from all over the world, etc. We’ve witnessed so many inspiring videos of people applauding healthcare workers at 5 pm every day; others playing musical instruments on the balcony, not only to keep themselves sane, but also to share good vibes with those who are as forlorn as they are; friends pooling resources together to send out “ayuda” meal packs to the frontliners, to neighbors who cannot go out to the market… The list is endless. People were forced to pause and look at those nearest them, those they lived with, and to renew relationships. Cars were useless during the months of lockdown. Fashion was hung in the closet… As it turns out, we can still wear clothes even from 5 years ago.

When did we experience peace and happiness the most? Did we miss the frenzy of filling up our calendars with meetings, meet-ups, and trips? Did we miss eating out at our favorite joints? Wasn’t the thrill of purchasing the coveted pair of shoes actually a fleeting one? Didn’t we experience the joy of a good home-cooked meal, repairing little things at home, planting a little garden, and sharing it with our loved ones? How many of us learned to cut each other’s hair, learned a new skill, discovered a new passion? Didn’t we find ourselves, all of a sudden, attending multiple online Masses during the day, listening to many homilies that opened our eyes and gave us hope to move on in life?

Humans are social beings. We are happiest when we can share everything, be they material things, time, or skills and talents. No one can ever be happy forever, alone. Humans are the extensions of God. God created humans to love. This time, let us look at things from a new perspective, not thinking of what we can acquire to make us happy. Instead, let us look for people to love, to accompany, to listen to, to share things with… This is what will give long-lasting peace and happiness to each one of us.

Grasping the reality of life through God’s Word and her own experience, Chiara Lubich used to say… “Everything passes away; only love remains.”

Jenni Bulan