MANILA, Philippines—Believing that true love goes beyond physical pleasures, a youth group will be distributing candies on Valentine’s Day to remind the public to “stay pure” and not give in to lust on the day traditionally set aside for romance.
The packet of candies will carry a note reminding everyone of Christian purity as taught by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:20, “Stay pure. You were bought with the blood of Christ so honor God with your body.”
Anna Cosio of Filipinos for Life said giving away packets of candies was the group’s response to the condom campaign by some advocates of reproductive health who promoted “safe sex” on Valentine’s Day of previous years.
Wrong message
The group said distributing condoms sends the wrong message to the youth about having sex without consequences.
“As we all know, contraception advocates give away free condoms on Valentine’s Day every year to promote sex, but not love,” said Cosio, who lamented that the day originally meant to honor Catholic martyr St. Valentine’s has now been used by secularists to push their “anti-Christian agenda.”
“On the contrary, what we, young people, want to promote is true love—the kind that is patient, kind, gentle and everything else written about it in 1 Corinthians 13!” wrote Cosio in a message posted on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines website.
According to the Bible verse quoted by Cosio, “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Filipinos for Life is expected to team up with fellow chastity and life advocates from Love + Life Philippines, YouthPinoy and Pro-Life Philippines, to reach more people with their message of “keeping the love real.”
Cosio said interested parties may support their project by donating candies or volunteering to repack them at the Pro-life Philippines Foundation Inc. office at 70 Main Horseshoe Drive, Horseshoe Village, Quezon City.