Valentine’s Day invites us to celebrate the beauty of love in all its forms. For Catholics, love is more than just an emotion — it is a divine gift. Holy men and women throughout history have shared profound insights on love, reminding us that true love is selfless, sacrificial and rooted in the love of God. On this special day, these ten quotes from popes, saints and potential saints-to-be offer wisdom, inspiration and a deeper understanding of love as we strive to live it out in our everyday lives.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla
“You cannot enter into the vocation of family life if you do not know how to love. To love is to desire to perfect oneself and the one loved, to overcome one’s own selfishness, give one’s self … Love must be total, full, complete, governed by the law of God and the eternity of heaven.”
— “The Journey of Our Love: The Letters of Saint Gianna Beretta and Pietro Molla”
St. John Chrysostom
“There is no influence more powerful than the bond of love, especially for husband and wife. A servant can be taught submission through fear; but even he, if provoked too much, will soon seek his escape. But one’s partner for life, the mother of one’s children, the source of one’s every joy, should never be fettered with fear and threats, but with love and patience.”
— “On Marriage and Family Life“
St. Teresa of Kolkata
“True love causes pain. Jesus, in order to give us the proof of his love, died on the cross. A mother, in order to give birth to her baby, has to suffer. If you really love one another, you will not be able to avoid making sacrifices.”
— “Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom“
Pope Benedict XVI
“Love now becomes concern and care for the other. No longer is it self-seeking, a sinking in the intoxication of happiness; instead it seeks the good of the beloved: it becomes renunciation and it is ready, and even willing, for sacrifice.”
— Deus Caritas Est (“God is Love”), No. 6
Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
“There are perhaps few more touchingly beautiful spectacles in all the world than that of a husband and wife saying their prayers together. The prayer of a husband and wife, said together, is not the same as two distinct individuals pouring out their hearts to God, for in the first instance, there is an acknowledgment of the Spirit of Love which makes them one. Because both are destined for eternity, it is fitting that all their acts of love have that eternal flavor in which their souls in prayer and their bodies in marriage attest to the universality of admiration not only for God, but also for each other.”
Pope Francis
“Only to the extent that love is grounded in truth can it endure over time, can it transcend the passing moment and be sufficiently solid to sustain a shared journey.”
— Lumen Fidei (“The Light of Faith”), No. 27
St. Thérèse of Lisieux
“How sweet is the way of love, dear Mother. True, one can fall or commit infidelities, but, knowing how to draw profit from everything, love quickly consumes everything that can be displeasing to Jesus; it leaves nothing but a humble and profound peace in the depths of the heart.”
— “Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux”
St. Thomas Aquinas
“It is contrary to the natural instinct of the human species that husband and wife be separated: and in consequence the union of male and female in the human race must be not only long lasting but indissoluble … the greater the friendship the more stable and lasting is it.”
— “Summa Contra Gentiles,” Book 3, Chapter 123
Pope St. John Paul II
“The love of two persons, man and woman, leads in matrimony to their mutual dedication one to the other. From the point of view of each individual person this is a clear surrender of the self to another person, while in the interpersonal relationship it is surrender of each to the other.”
St. Josemaría Escrivá
“Do everything for love. Thus there will be no little things: everything will be big. Perseverance in little things for love is heroism. A little act, done for love, is worth so much!”
— “The Way,” No. 813
The wisdom of the saints and popes reminds us that true love is selfless, sacrificial and ever-enduring. May we strive to live out these ideals in our relationships and let love guide our hearts today and always. Happy Valentine’s Day!
