Love, flowers, and chocolates
On Valentine’s Day
by Ed Rizkalla
On Sunday, February 14th, 2010, many people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day and the New Lunar Year - Year of the Tiger on the Chinese calendar. Men tend to give gifts, and/or flowers, and chocolates to their wives, and the women in their lives, as a token of their love, affection, and appreciation. I would like to offer greetings, respect, and best wishes to all our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, wives, fiancés, girlfriends, daughters and granddaughters all over the world on Valentine’s Day. I would also like to extend greetings and best wishes to all of our friends celebrating the New Lunar Year for a healthy and prosperous New Year.
The gospel of Saint John the Apostle describes, how Christ the Lord blessed the love bond between a man and a woman in marriage at the wedding at Cana at Galilee stating “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee and manifested his glory.”John 2.11. Thus Christ the Lord honored love and marriage by performing his first sign - the miraculous conversion of water into wine- to help a newly-wed couple, their family, and community celebrate the wedding feast.
From the very beginning the holy Bible indicates “Then the LORD God said, “it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”…So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man” Gen 2.18-21,22. The holy Bible further admonishes “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Gen 2.24.
Thus from the very beginning of creation, God blessed the love bond between a man and a woman, marriage, and the family. Again Christ the Lord reaffirmed that by blessing the wedding of Cana, Galilee as his first sign. Furthermore, He blessed the offspring of the family “Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people; but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.” Mt 19.13-15.
In Coptic traditions, women are always treated as equals. Furthermore Coptic culture accords respect for the role women play in the family and society at large. One of the stories, which illustrate these cultural traits, comes to us from the life of Saint Anthony the Great. It is narrated among the “Sayings of the Desert Fathers”, known in Arabic as “The Paradise of the Monks” (1). The narrative relates that as a relatively young monk, Saint Anthony settled at a place nearby the river Nile, where he continued to practice asceticism. Some woman went to the river to get water, wash clothing and bathe themselves. Initially Saint Anthony averted his sight, then he told them are you not ashamed of yourselves, considering that I a monk. One of the women responded back: if you were truly a monk, you should go away into the inner desert, as this place is not suitable for monks to live at. Saint Anthony did not get angry at the woman, but considered her answer. He said to himself that these words were not from this woman, but they were from an angel of the Lord. Accordingly he left his abode by the river Nile, and went into the inner desert to live and practice his asceticism. This story about Saint Anthony the Great illustrates how the Coptic culture not only treats women as equal but also accords respect for the role of women in the society at large.
May Christ the LORD grant peace, harmony and love to all families all over the world. The writer joins the psalmist in wishing and praying for all our young men and women that “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within you house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Psalm 128. 2, 3”
You all have a happy Valentine’s Day, and a healthy and prosperous New Lunar Year. Irene Passe
Refrences:
1) The Paradise of Monks, for the Fathers of the Coptic Church (in Arabic), revised and annotated by the committee for editing and publishing at the Bishopric Metropolis of Beni Sewif, Egypt, 9th edition, 1977.
Ed Rizkalla is a management consultant and freelance writer. He is the founder of Pharos on the Potomac Group (POPG), a non-profit organization at Annandale, VA.