EDITORIAL
IF YOU LOVE, YOU WILL SEND OUT VALENTINES
Bishop JOHN
JESUS LOVES YOU
n February 14, around the year 270 A.D., Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. There are several differing accounts of his life and the circumstances of his martyrdom, but all the accounts agree that while the priest was awaiting martyrdom, he sent letters about Jesus Christ and God’s love to those whom he cared about. The priest Valentine wanted those that he had not had a chance to witness about Christ, to have Jesus in their lives and share in God’s Kingdom. The letters he sent out expressing His love for God and God’s love expressed in Valentine’s life came to be known as valentines. To this day, people exchange valen-
tines, but many without knowing of their origin or expressing their own witness to Christ. Fr. Dan Daly, in his retirement wrote a book for his extended family outlining the family’s Christian Heritage over many generations. He shared the witness and faith of their common ancestors pointing out how Christ lived in the lives of those family members. Fr. Dan also shared how Christ has been alive in his own life in the hope that his extended family too would come to share in God’s love. He spoke straightforwardly about the challenges and evils of our modern times, outlining their sources. He challenged them directly to make the effort to come to know God and His Church. He wrote this book for them because he loves them. We cannot expect our children to know of their Christian heritage unless we explicitly share it with them. We need to let them see us pray, make Christ and His Church our priority and let
The Word
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