February 14 should be called National Flower Appreciation Day because that’s the number one gift on Valentine’s Day! Yet, while flowers do eventually wither away, true love does not. This month’s saint lived in a world that full of war and persecution, yet he was a source of hope for those he ministered to because he encouraged them to love. No the kind of love where you say “I just loooooooove this sweater” or “I looooove your shoes”, but the kind that St. Thomas Aquinas describes as “willing the good of the other.” St. Valentine is known as the patron of love because he imitated our Lord in his selfless sacrifice for his flock. So, as we celebrate this holiday, we can enjoy all the fruits of the holiday, but remember that love is more than just a box of chocolates!
St. Valentine definitely existed because they found his remain in a tomb around Rome, but the problem is that there are three recorded saints who lived at the time…all with the same name with…the same feast day. The generally accepted version of the saint is that he was a saint an physician in Rome who provided comfort to the Christian martyrs alongside St, Marius and his family. The second Valentine was the Bishop of a town called Interamna which was about sixty miles from Rome, who was killed by he Emperor for his witness to the faith. The third and last Valentine was martyred in Africa with his companions. They may have been three different people, but all three men had a zeal for the Catholic faith and they died for it heroically. So, it turns out that Valentine is a bit of a mystery just like love! Even so, for the purposes of this post, we will observe and reflect upon the life of the first Valentine.
His story begins in the year 268 A.D. under the Roman Emperor Claudius II who was generally tolerant of religions except for the Catholic Church because he saw it as subversive as they only acknowledged Jesus as the greatest authority on earth. There was an official edict that was passed forbidding young men from marrying because the emperor believed that unmarried soldiers fought better and when they died, the state did not have to provide as much money to the widow’s family. As a result, all sorts of practices were promoted to work around this rule and polygamy became very popular. This encouraged the Roman society at the time to adopt a view of love that was similar to what Pope Francis describes as one belonging to a “throwaway culture.”
Valentine saw that this was happening and as a priest, he knew it was his duty to promote and foster true love so he risked his life to administer the Sacrament of Matrimony. As someone who worked with people on a daily basis, he saw first hand how important it was to have strong families because the family is the building block of society. He also disagreed with the war the Roman Empire was waging because he saw it as unjust and unnecessarily tearing families apart. This is why under the cover the secrecy, the priest secretly married young lovers in the Catholic Church. If a man was married, he was not enlisted so by doing this Valentine was indirectly undermining the military efforts of the empire which was already struggling with the scarcity of soldiers at the time. It was said that in order to remind these men of their vows and God’s love, St. Valentine would cut out hearts from parchment to give to them.
Eventually, the patron of love was caught by the Roman authority and placed under house arrest in the home of Judge Asterius who was the father of a young woman who was blind. The Roman official spoke with Valentine because he was curious about his faith as a non-believer. When he talked about Jesus’ healing grace, the judge took notice because of his daughter’s affliction. Asterius was desperate so he made a deal: if Valentine can restore her sight, he would do whatever he asked. The future saint took the wager and prayed as he laid his hands on her eyes. Her sight was miraculously restored! Valentine then asked the Roman judge to destroy all the false idols around his home, fast for three days, and become baptized along with his whole household including servants. He agreed and even freed all the Christian inmates in his care.
Valentine was now free to return to his ministry, but then he was captured again in 269 A.D. and this time he was brought in front of the emperor himself. As they spoke, Claudius II actually took a liking to the priest as he was very charismatic. However, when Valentine tried to convert him to Christianity, he was angered and condemned the holy man to death. The punishments were cruel, yet Valentine somehow survived being beaten and stoned. The final method was then to behead him. As he approached his execution, legend has it that Valentine had written letters to those he ministered to including the blind daughter of Judge Asterius which was signed off with “from your Valentine”. Now, that would be interpreted as a romantic gesture, but back then it just a common correspondence between two good friends. The patron saint of love was martyred on February 14, 269 A.D.
In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom. However, Valentine was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of the lack of reliable information regarding his background and because the Vatican wanted to have strict uniform standard for celebrating saints. Yet, we can still honor what he traditionally represents and reflect upon his short, but grace-filled life.
Keepsakes – St. Valentine knew it was important for the young prospective grooms to have a physical reminder of their vows because it can be very easy, especially under stressful circumstances, to forget the things that really matter. This is why in Catholicism we have Sacramentals, which are blessed objects unique to the faith that remind us of God. The Catholic Church recognizes that human beings experience the world through their senses which is why the Mass appeals to all five. If you find that you are struggling in your prayer life, maybe try decorating your room, prayer space, or house with Sacramentals! These keepsakes are a physical remind to us of God’s infinite love for us!
Love is not a box of chocolates! – A box of chocolates is one of the most popular Valentine’s Day gifts because they are affordable, sweet, and conveniently packaged. The problem is that they disappear pretty quickly once you start eating the first piece! Today, we have ease of access to: information at the touch of our fingertips through search engines like Google, attention through social media platforms like Instagram, and entertainment through services like Netflix. Yet, statistically, we are one of the most unhappy. Why is that? Aristotle believed that virtue is cultivated through good habits which stems from discipline and practice. This meant that it was not enough to have the virtue, but it was important to work your way to it because that was the valuable experience. In our society today, there is a push towards re-creating the effects of love without the sacrifice. God left us the instruction manual and the institution to preserve the true meaning of love. The only catch is that it requires us to be vulnerable and faithful. That’s a big catch, but if we follow in the steps of our Lord, we will experience a love that is out of this world and certainly more filling than a box of chocolates!
Your Valentine – Who knew that St. Valentine’s last written words would become so iconic on the designated holiday of romantic love. Yet, when we look at his final moments, Valentine was more concerned with a different kind of love. He could have easily befriended the Roman Emperor who had already taken a liking to him and possibly survived to live another day. But instead, he chose to use that critical moment to preach the Gospel and he was condemned to death for it. Valentine’s Day is indeed about love, but one that is deeper than romantic relationships. To care for the soul of the other is to love like Jesus loves because, ultimately, sin destroys us from within and separates us from the source of love: God!
Even if you do not have a Valentine this February 14 or you choose to instead celebrate SAD (Single Awareness Day), you can still choose to show your loved ones you care for them! But don’t worry! God has already sent us his love letters, but I have a hunch that instead of “Your Valentine” it is signed off with “Yours Truly”.
If you ever find yourself in need of St. Valentine’s intercession, here is a glorious advocate and protector,
St Valentine,
look with pity upon our wants,
hear our requests,
attend to our prayers,
relieve by your intercession the miseries
under which we labour,
and obtain for us the divine blessing,
that we may be found worthy to join you
in praising the Almighty for all
eternity: through the merits of
Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Stay awesome and blossom 🌱
By: anh Daniel
Comments