The connection with love seems to have started in the fourteenth century, when the English poet Chaucer wrote of birds choosing their mates on “Seynt Valentynes day.” Whatever its origins, the day is a good excuse to pray for the people we love, and for those who find it a lonely day.
Historical Context
In the current Catholic calendar, 14 February is the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, brothers who brought the faith to the Slavic peoples. Valentine remains a saint and is still remembered, especially in local churches that claim his relics.
A Valentine’s Day Prayer for My Spouse
Lord, thank you for the one you gave me.
Thank you for the years behind us, the hard ones included.
Renew our love today.
Make us patient and kind with each other,
quick to forgive and slow to keep score.
Let our marriage show something of your love to everyone who sees it.
Amen.
For a Couple
Lord, bless our relationship.
Let our love be honest and our intentions good.
Guide us toward what you want for us,
and keep you at the center of it.
Amen.
For Singles on Valentine’s Day
Lord, today reminds me I’m on my own.
I’m not asking you to take away the longing,
but to fill today with your love and with friends who care.
If marriage is in your plan for me, prepare us both.
If not, make my life full in other ways.
Amen.
For Anyone Hurting Today
Lord, this day is hard for the widowed, the divorced and the heartbroken.
Comfort them.
Let them feel loved by you today, whatever they feel about the world.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer
- On the morning of 14 February, or at dinner together.
- Inside a Valentine’s card.
- For a couple preparing for marriage.
- For a friend who is alone this year.
Scripture Connection
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.” — 1 Corinthians 13:4
Paul’s “charity” is the Greek agape, self-giving love. He wasn’t writing about weddings, but this passage is read at so many because it describes the love that keeps a marriage going long after the romance of the first Valentine’s Day.
Related prayers
Wales’s own patron of lovers is on the St Dwynwen Prayer page. See also the February 14 Prayer and, for couples apart, the Prayer for Long Distance Relationship.