Well … it’s Valentine’s Day. Have you prepared something for your sweetheart? Guys, even if she says she it’s ok if you don’t go out and there is no need to get her anything … please, error on the side of doing something special and at least purchase a nice card. A box of candy and flowers would even be better. Trust me.
So … Happy Valentine’s Day!
Did you know that Americans will spend over 19 billion dollars on gifts for Valentine’s Day? The average spending a person does on Valentine’s Day is almost $200. We put a lot of time, focus, money, and effort in this day … but what does it really mean and where did it come from? How is it tied to faith? Is it tied to faith?
Valentine’s Day is named after a famous saint who was a doctor turned priest in the third century. The Roman Catholic Church has named him St. Valentine of Rome, the patron saint of love. He has quite a story and, when you hear it, it will be a little heart wrenching.
Valentine lived during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius II, also known as Claudius the Cruel. I guess names describe one’s attributes because, as with other Roman Emperors, this one is … well, pretty mean. During Claudius’ time in power, he was known for driving out of Rome some invading tribes … insurgents … one group known as the Alemanni tribe. He was also known for his major defeat of Gothic invaders which gave him the identity of Claudius II Gothicus for that very reason. But here is the kicker … what he was really known for was making it illegal to get married! That’s right … speaking of cruel! Well, what is his role with Valentine’s Day, you ask? Read on.
Valentine, as a priest, was marrying a lot of couples in love … you see, against the law that Claudius the Cruel had declared. Mr. Cruel wanted to make sure his armies were supplied with men and believed that marriage would be a huge problem in trying to get new recruits. He was right. Men were unwilling to break from the attachments they had to their wives and families … and how could you blame them? So, this is why it became illegal to marry. It was even unlawful to be engaged!
Valentine thought the laws to be ridiculous and married young couples anyway … in secret. Off to jail Valentine went. He even continued to marry some while in prison! As with earlier saints like the Apostle Paul, Valentine made great use of his time behind bars and expressed the love of God through Christ Jesus to others.
The story goes that Valentine even became great friends with his jailor, a man by the name of Asterious, who had a blind daughter named Julia. Valentine took a liking to Julia and became friends with her, helping her with her studies. Valentine was so popular that even the Emperor Claudius (Mr. Cruel) finally came to his senses and decided to release him from captivity if only he would renounce his Christian faith. Valentine would do no such thing. Claudius was enraged and sent Valentine to his death.
Legend has it that, before he was to be killed, Valentine wrote Julia a little note thanking her for her friendship … a farewell note … and signed it, “From your Valentine.” Valentine was martyred on this day, February 14, in the year 270 AD.
What ties Valentine to faith is his superior example of what it means to be a Christ-follower and one who was willing to give up his life as a demonstration of faith.
We are always amazed at the spiritual integrity and the love of God some have to give up their very lives for the faith. I would sincerely hope that I would be able to do the same when asked to renounce my faith. I surely believe I would stand firm in Christ.
Now, Valentine’s Day is not a holy holiday. In fact, it has had its association with a pagan fertility festival known as Lupercalia, which was celebrated on February 15. But, knowing the background story is significant … that there was a priest, in the mid-third century named Valentine, who loved Jesus and people, and who had to be one of those hopeless romantics to be willing to marry young couples at the risk of his own life.
Valentine was named a saint of the church for aiding Christians in a time of persecution.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Real Faith Matters 