This week, due to the shifting date of Easter, we had a strange combination of dates, St Valentine’s day and Ash Wednesday. Whether you were into sackcloth and ashes or chocolates and roses the combination is a timely reminder that Lent is more about love than fasting.

St Valentine is remembered as the patron saint of romantic love, but his story is more about justice and mercy. He was executed under the rule of the emperor Claudius for defying orders to conscrip young men into the Roman army, which at this time was very overstretched.

The church at this point in history, the third century, was strictly pacifist. One way to escape military conscription was to get married, as newly wed young men were excused military conscription for a year. St Valentine would secretly marry young couples to help them avoid the ‘call up’

To remind these couples of their vows and of God’s love St Valentine is said to cut out parchment hearts as a keepsake, and as they say, ‘The rest is history’.

Our reading from Isaiah also brings together the theme of love and mercy. He reminds us that the true fast is:

‘to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free?

Marriage and Community

The love and care of our neighbours, especially those who are particularly vulnerable is amongst the purposes set out in the preface to the marriage service which states that

‘Marriage…enriches society and strengthens community’

As we welcome the lovely couples who are getting married here in the CHQ parish it is good to remind ourselves that the joy of their union is the foundation not only of family life but also of community life.

Van Gogh and the Roulin Family

I have chosen this week a painting by Van Gogh of the couple who took him in when he was living in Arles, and was at his most vulnerable, Monsieur and Madame Roulin and their family.

Van Gogh and Joseph Roulin met and became good friends and drinking companions. Van Gogh compared Roulin to Socrates on many occasions; while Roulin was not the most attractive man, van Gogh found him to be "such a good soul and so wise and so full of feeling and so trustful." Roulin saw van Gogh through the good and the most difficult times, corresponding with his brother, Theo following his rift with Gauguin and being at his side during and following the hospital stay in Arles.

If love is the glue that holds together family life and enriches and strengthens community life, then, chocolate has an important part to play too! If you read the book or saw the film ‘Chocolat’ you’ll know what I mean! Let me run briefly through the story.

Chocolat

Joanne Harris, the author, tells the story Vianne Rocher, who arrives in a French village and sets up a Chocolaterie, a chocolate shop situated across the square from the austere medieval-style church. Much to the dismay of the priest and the mayor, she arrives at the beginning of Lent, when they are urging their community to repent and to fast. Somehow this seems to bring out the worst in everyone and the cracks in relationships are starting to show.

In contrast, Vianne and her daughter set about their chocolatière's craft with great enthusiasm and love, cleaning and painting the little shop and creating delicacies never before seen in the village.

One by one, Vianne welcomes the reluctant but curious villagers into her shop, gives them chocolate and hears their life's stories, their problems, their pain. And gradually, gently, as the story unfolds, she encourages them to make changes in their lives, to rebuild relationships or move on from broken ones. She welcomes those others reject and treats them with the same love and respect. And the more the church condemns her lack of restraint or respect for the church's teachings, the more people are drawn to her and to one another.

The grumpy grandmother gets to know her grandson and appreciates his talent for drawing, the elderly man after decades musters up the courage to date his childhood sweetheart. The young woman escapes from her violent, drunken husband and a little girl makes new friends. A married couple rekindle romance, travellers are met with a smile and music and dancing are heard on the edge of the village.

Isn't this what the God of love is about: the healing of relationships, the blossoming of love, the helping out of friends in need of a home, the welcoming of outcasts and foreigners, the quashing of prejudice and discrimination? Isn't this what a celebration of Valentine's Day should be about – our demonstrating God's love for each person that says very clearly, 'You are worth it!'

A prayer for peace in the Holy land.

O God of all justice and peace we cry out to you in the midst of the pain and trauma
of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.
Be with those who need you in these days of suffering; we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land.
While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace,
we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples.
Guide us into your kingdom where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children for, to all of us, you are our Heavenly Father.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.