Depending on when you grabbed your copy of the Globe, you may be planning, or may have already enjoyed, a special Valentine’s Day outing or dinner out; maybe you just made a last-minute dash to the florist. For others, this holiday may be less celebratory or even painful, due to the recent loss of a loved one or a relationship.
Regardless of how you celebrate Valentine’s Day or feel about it right now, it can be worthwhile to think for a few minutes about the person who inspired the traditions. If your holiday includes helping children choose or make cards for a special relative or their friends, they can learn valuable lessons from the holiday’s origins, as well.
Several legends have served as sources to piece together the story. Three martyrs from the third century AD were named Valentinus: One a priest in Rome, one a bishop of Interamna, and one a Christian in a Roman province of Africa. Valentinus the priest is said to have been sentenced to death by Emperor Claudius II, for reasons related to military service and marriages under the cold-hearted ruler.
Emperor Claudius was having trouble recruiting men to serve in the military, likely due to the requirement that soldiers fight for at least 25 years. Many young men were unwilling to leave loved ones for that long; therefore, Claudius banned marriages and engagements throughout the empire. Believing this to be ungodly overreach on the emperor’s part, Valentinus took the risk of cooperating in underground marriage ceremonies for soldiers to secretly marry their betrothed.
Valentinus was eventually caught, accused of treason, and sentenced to death. He was beaten by clubs and killed on February 14 around the year 269. More than 200 years later, Pope Gelasius designated February 14 an official day to honor Valentinus’ courage.
He was later designated as St. Valentine by the Catholic Church, although that designation was later reduced in status due to the different legends, possibly about different men. Another possible source legend is that while in prison, Valentine befriended the jailer’s daughter, healed her from blindness, and later sent her a letter signed “from your Valentine” before his death.
Regardless of the variations, the legends seem to agree on Valentine’s commitment to the value of love and marriage, even though he risked punishment for his belief and actions. St. Valentine’s Day has been considered a holiday to celebrate love since approximately the 14th century.
An excellent book for children, “Valentine: God’s Courageous Evangelist,” is available through The Voice of the Martyrs as part of their “Courageous” series about martyrs whose actions have inspired faith. Check out the resource section at https://www.persecution.com to learn more.
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