The World Council of Churches is inviting people to share their reflections on love for Valentine’s Day – but to do so in light of the #ThursdaysinBlack movement demanding an end to violence against women.
The WCC said the campaign – which comes thanks to Valentine’s Day this year falling on a Thursday – recognises that while 14th February is a time to celebrate love, “for too many people, ‘love’ comes with abuse and violence”.
A special image prepared for the campaign. PICTURE: Albin Hillert/WCC
The campaign kicked off on 31st January by inviting people to reflect on a passage contained in I Corinthians 13:4-8: “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Nicole Ashwood, WCC programme executive for Just Community of Women and Men, said that while, “on the one hand, this Scripture expresses love’s infinite beauty and ability to empower…some women read lines like love ‘bears all things’ to mean that in a marriage or relationship they have to put up with violence”.
“So we want to unpack this Scripture, and talk about it in the context of God’s love for everyone.”
People are invited to share their reflections via social media (there’s a special profile picture available for this) or directly with the WCC. They will be compiled into a special Valentine’s Day reflection.
