A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
To have a kindred spirit, a bosom buddy, is a real blessing, especially for a young girl being homeschooled in Rome, far from home. C.S. Lewis wrote of friendship, “To the Ancients, Friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves,” says Lewis, “the crown of life and the school of virtue. The modern world, in comparison, ignores it.” Why? Perhaps we know it’s the most time consuming, the least celebrated, the one we could live without. Perhaps too, as Lewis says, “few value it because few experience it.” St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, "Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious." Schoolwork may sometimes qualify as tedious, but when shared with a good friend it becomes a game! The Angelic Doctor went so far as to claim that "There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship." Buon onomastico, Valentina, you are a loving friend to all who know you!
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.
When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden
at the breezy time of the day,
the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God
among the trees of the garden.
Bishop Barron's Gospel reflections today.
Sanctoral: Today is the Memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius. St. Cyril (827-869) was a priest and a philosopher and accompanied his brother St. Methodius (826-885) to Moravia to preach the Gospel. They both perfected a Slavonic alphabet which is now known as the Cyrillic alphabet and translated the liturgy into this language. They were summoned to Rome, where Cyril died on this date in 869, and Methodius was consecrated bishop and sent to Pannonia. Methodius died on April 6, 885, in Velehrad, Czech Republic, after working tirelessly on spreading the Gospel.
The Roman Martyrology also commemorates St. Valentine, Bishop and Martyr of Rome (died c. 269). Julius I built a basilica on the Flaminian Way, at the site of his martyrdom which was visited frequently.
Human: Valentine's Day 2025: What Is the Real Meaning of Valentine's Day?
From February 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia.
The connection between Lupercalia and Valentine's Day.
Natural: The story of the Roman god of agriculture Faunus, the equivalent of the Greek god Pan
Italian: Cervello (brain)
Quote: Some reflections on love from the "love experts"
"Four Types of Love" by C.S. Lewis
A Study Guide to C.S. Lewis' The Four Loves
The Nature of Love by Dietrich von Hildebrand
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