A Message from Fr. Zehren

On Thursday we will celebrate St. Valentine’s Day.  Nowadays people express their feelings using emojis and emoticons – those faddy pictorial images people insert in their texts and instant messages. For instance, people might show their loved ones how they feel with a little smiley-face-with-heart-eyes or a lipstick-kiss-mark or two-hands-holding.

How good it is to express feelings and emotions – but it’s even better when we express them effectively and constructively. Commonly I notice parents when their children are frustrated or afraid or sad. The children might be groaning or stomping their feet – and the parent will say, “Come on, use your words.” That’s good advice for Valentine’s Day or any day of the year. We can send flowers, give chocolate, or tweet emojis – but nothing is as dynamic as speaking our own well-chosen words truly from the heart and face-to-face. Use your words.

St. Valentine, pray for us. May God open our lips to speak grace-filled words of compelling faith and love.

Fr. Dennis Zehren
Pastor