Another time is just around the corner for our
people, especially young girls and boys, to be
exposed to all kinds of odd affairs under the
guise of Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day, which has a different meaning
and reasons for being, has today been
adulterated and turned into something else.
While Valentine's Day is meant for people,
especially married couples, to demonstrate the
true love of God by sharing gifts with one
another and showing forgiveness and concern for
others, these purposes have been defeated, and
the whole idea gone haywire.

This day has been totally misconceived in the
society that our young ones, especially the
female gender, suffer most of the consequences
of its negative effects such as sexual abuse and
exploitation during this great celebration.
Many use this medium to deceive their parents
with false excuses to find a way out of the
house on Valentine's Day to engage in illicit
sexual acts or parties detrimental to their lives
and future.

However, it is time for society to work to change
this perception of Valentine's Day, to teach our
children the right thing and protect our future
leaders from destroying their future, as well as
send our nation many steps backward.
We should all stand up against this
misconception of the true essence of Valentine's
Day and work together to correct it.

Valentine, as has been repeatedly stated by
many people who have done thorough research
on it, "is not and can never be a social nor
worldly idea or event as people assume it to be."
Valentine means celebrating true love of God;
therefore, all and sundry are urged to celebrate
Valentine everyday by continually showing the
true love of God to the people around us,
especially the rejected, the lonely, and the sick at
home or in the hospital, the widows, the
prisoners, the orphans, vulnerable children and
every other child around us.

Married couples should renew and strengthen
their love on such a great day.
Parents should teach their children to love and
fear God and encourage them to always
demonstrate the love of God to one another at
all times.

We should know that St. Valentine, a priest in
Roman Catholic Church, after whom the day or
occasion was named in 495 AD, to be held on 14
February each year , had real love for God and
mankind and gave from his heart all he had to
assist the poor, needy, widows, orphans and
vulnerable children in the Roman Empire.
So let's do likewise rather than otherwise.
"A heart is not judged by how much you love,
but by how much you are loved by others."