Today, Valentine’s Day, is the feast day of Saint Valentine. As with most early Christian saints, there is some controversy around who exactly Saint Valentine was. While we may never know the exact historical facts, several legends emerge that have been passed down through the centuries and have made him a significant figure in both religious and secular calendars.

Like the apostle Paul, but to a lesser extent, Saint Valentine is famous for writing letters. One letter in particular stands out. Valentine had been asked to help heal and later educate the blind daughter of a jailer. The young girl and the saint became friends. So when Saint Valentine was later arrested, he wrote the girl letters from jail. Again, like the apostle Paul, Saint Valentine wrote out words of encouragement to another when he could not physically be there for her.

How Saint Valentine’s feast day became intertwined with romantic love, cards, flowers, and candy is more about modern marketing than theology. But perhaps now is the time to break out of this narrow definition of love that amplifies the loneliness many single people feel and the pressure put on couples to meet unrealistic expectations of romantic love.

The ancient Greeks had many different words for the awkward, all-encompassing English word love. We can make this feast day about more than just buying gifts for our significant others (or fretting about not having one).

Consider writing a letter of love and support to someone whom you wish to comfort through a difficult period even though you cannot be with her or him in person.