Love Is in the Air

Love is in the air! Valentine's Day is approaching and the ads are everywhere. Hallmark cards to mark "Hallmark moments". Chocolate. Jewelry. Special this and that. Has anyone else noticed that it's almost always HIM buying for HER? Materialism and one-way giving do not constitute Love.

What's interesting about the month of February this year is that we start off with a veritable orgy of how we're supposed to show our love for those closest to us and end with the beginning of a season that reminds us of what love really means.

Up until the 14th, it's almost impossible to avoid the message that the love we're supposed to show has to do with consumerism, and only for those closest to us. Do any of the Valentine's Day ads suggest that we help the needy, or do something to better the lives of the oppressed, or take a step to remove the prejudices and hatreds that exist? Believe it or not, you might even be able to spend some money to help bring these worthy goals, these acts of love, into existence. And isn't that the purpose of advertising? To get you to buy something? (Well, usually. There are some public service announcements out there to get you to change your behavior, but the ones that pay big bucks to media are about buying things.)

In this part of the country, after February 14th you'll continue to see ads for Mardi Gras parades, celebrations, and events. When I lived in Oklahoma, you got a little bit of spill from Louisiana, but not as much. Even then, the underlying purpose of Mardi Gras isn't particularly visible. It's the party that counts, not the fact that the next day is the "reason for the season".

Then comes Ash Wednesday. Does anyone recall ever seeing an ad for Ash Wednesday consumerism? Nope. That's because Ash Wednesday isn't about consumerism. It's about love. A very special love. A love that gave of itself entirely FOR US! Not the kind of love that we bandy about so casually around Valentine's Day, or seek so desperately, if we believe we don't have it. This is a love which looks at the worst humanity has ever done and is still willing to stand as mediator between us and God. In many ways, it's a kind of love that I'm not sure I really understand.

It is a kind of love we are called as Christians to seek to emulate 365 days a year, even if there is no way we'll ever be able to live up to it completely. On Ash Wednesday, over the centuries, Christians have gathered and received ashes on their foreheads to remind them that we've a long way to go to live in a manner which loves our neighbors as ourselves, AND recalls that Jesus didn't let us off the hook when it comes to those WE don't consider neighbors - those who are not near us, who are not like us, and are even our enemies.

Love IS in the air! I wonder how we'll choose to show it this year, and the years to come.