We either love or despise Valentine’s Day. The modern culture seduces us into believing we need lavish romance, decadent chocolates, expensive bouquets, and most importantly tall-dark-and-handsome Prince Charmings to woo us into bliss! We are set up to be disappointed with unrealistic expectations of ourselves and our partners, and of course we know that forced love is never true anyway. We can and should celebrate love and even romance, but what does that look like?

Every year World Marriage Day is celebrated by the Church worldwide as a day set aside to honor marriage as the foundation of family life. It is a beautiful opportunity for the Church to celebrate the example marriage demonstrates of honor, beauty, dignity, and living out one’s vocation.

Love is palpable this time of year, but it is often intertwined in the occasions of visiting, decorating, gift giving, baking, and other activities that we often look forward to because they are comforting, nostalgic, and bring us cheer. This Christmas, let us accept the challenge of stepping out of this place of contentment to practice sacrificial love.

The Catholic Church teaches that technology is a gift when it serves human dignity and fosters authentic relationships. Still, we have to be careful. Relying too much on AI risks fraying the delicate threads of human connection.