VALENTINES FOR THE PHILIPPINES

By Edwin D. Bael*

Valentine’s Day was originally celebrated to honor Christian leaders named Valentine who were martyred by the Romans; romantic love was not really linked to it until the middle ages.1/ We Filipinos might want to ponder a bit on these origins, which speak of fortitude, a cardinal virtue and a gift of the Holy Spirit.2/

Fortitude enables one to effectively express sublime love of country, which for us, has been conveyed par excellence by Dr. Jose Rizal, with the following quotes as examples:
• “…love of country is never effaced once it has penetrated the heart, because it carries with it a divine stamp which renders it eternal and imperishable. It has been said that love is the most powerful force behind the most sublime actions; well then, among all loves, that of country is the greatest, the most heroic and the most disinterested.”3/
• “…the thought of my whole life has always been love of my country and her moral and material development…”4/
• “In my heart I have suppressed all loves, except that of my native land; in my mind I have erased all ideas which do not signify her progress; and my lips have forgotten the names of the native races in the Philippines in order not to say more than Filipinos.”5/

As we express intimate affections this valentines, may we spare a few moments to meditate on these words of love by Dr. Rizal and ask ourselves whether we too can approximate such transcendence, heroism and disinterest in personal over national gains. Why, indeed, not?

And, as awareness turns to Inang Bayan’s current affairs, may we invoke this prayer of Pope John Paul II: “Merciful Love, we pray to you, do not fail! Merciful Love, we pray to you, be tireless! Be constantly greater than every evil, which is in man and in the world. Be constantly greater than the evil which has increased in our country and in our generation. Be more powerful with the power of the crucified King!”6/

Happy Valentines, Filipinas!
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*Edwin D. Bael is a Knight Commander of the Order of the Knights of Rizal. He was Consul General of the Philippines in Los Angeles, California and is now the Managing Principal of Bael Consulting, LLC, based in Phoenix, Arizona.
1/ “Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, xxx is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 500 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted. (Now) a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"), xxx it first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine’sDay)
2/ “Fortitude is the virtue that allows us to overcome fear and to remain steady in our will in the face of obstacles. Prudence and justice are the virtues through which we decide what needs to be done; fortitude gives us the strength to do it. Fortitude is the virtue of martyrs, who are willing to give their lives rather than to renounce their faith. It is in martyrdom that we see the best example of fortitude rising above the level of a mere cardinal virtue (able to be practiced by anyone) into a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit.” (http://catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/p/ Fortitude.htm)
3/ “Love of Country”, La Solidaridad Article, Madrid, 31 Oct. 1890, p. 247;
4/ Letter to the Governor & Captain General of the Philippine Islands, Hongkong, 21 Mar 1892, Epistolario Rizalino, III, No. 527, p. 306);
5/ “Farewell to 1883” Speech;
6/ James S. Bell, Jr. with Tracy Macon Sumner, “Christian Prayers and Devotions”, Alpha Books, 2007, p. 56.