Student Reflection: Feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius

Good morning. My name is Catherine Quinn, of the Class of 2025. As we celebrate Mass on this Valentine’s Day, the obvious theme of love comes to mind. But how do we define love? 

In our commercial world, especially today of all days, it is emblazoned on t-shirts, represented by a dozen red roses, or, you can pay Hallmark $5.99 to say it for you. It is in music lyrics, billboards, and expressed a million different ways across social media. Are these things the true definition and embodiment of Love? 

More fundamental and universal to our human existence is God’s love. It is all around us, sometimes silent, sometimes loud, sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious. It is the very essence of our being. We can find it in our families, peers, friends, and teachers, in a beautiful morning sky, or in the laughter of a sibling. God’s love reminds us we’re not alone as we navigate this chaotic world.

In the Gospel today, Jesus heals a man who is deaf, reminding us of the important message that God’s love enables us to love, opening our ears and hearts to give back to others. Jesus lives within us, and so does this ability to heal with his compassion and empathy. We can follow his example and turn ordinary deeds into extraordinary ones.

On February Fourteenth, the Church celebrates Cyril and Methodius, brothers who gave their lives as missionaries to the Slavic lands. The pair is credited for bringing the Gospel to Eastern Europe through learning the language of the people and adapting the scriptures to their experiences. Their services were criticized by many fellow Catholics, but in this instance, they exemplified God’s love through their decision to endure difficulties to fulfill their missionary duties.

In my own experience, I witnessed God’s love in the life of my Great-Uncle, also a missionary priest, who served in Bolivia. He learned Spanish, left his family, and lived in poverty, and for more than sixty years took an active role in the educational, economic, health, and spiritual lives of the people there.

As he was dying of cancer, his fifty nieces and nephews, one of whom is my mom, rotated constantly among themselves to stay by his side as he passed his soul over to God; This act showed me how much my family cherished my uncle and was a testimony to his influence and the deep love they had.

At Fenwick, I see God in the smiles of my friends, in the kindness of my teachers, and in the joy my teammates bring me. The love we share here is what I will remember and take with me beyond high school, the little moments of friendship that connect us with God and each other.

The secular world celebrates “love” today, and as Christians, this occasion can remind us to center our lives in God’s love and take it a step further by sharing it with those around us.

Happy St. Valentine’s Day, and may your hearts be full of love. Thank you.