On the 14th of February many people enjoy celebrating Saint Valentine’s Day. But who was Saint Valentine? Why was he a Saint? Why is Saint Valentine linked to love? Where is God and the Christian faith in Valentine’s Day?
It would appear that there were Multiple Martyred Saint Valentines. Valentine was a popular name in ancient Rome, and there are at least 50 stories of different saints by that name.
The most popular story (and the one that I will focus on here) is that Saint Valentine was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians. He is the patron saint of beekeepers, epilepsy, engaged couples and marriage.
Saint Valentine would perform secret weddings against the wishes of the authorities in the third century. Imprisoned in the home of a noble he healed his captor’s blind daughter, and converting the whole household to Christianity therefore sealing his fate, he sent the girl a note signed “Your Valentine,” before being tortured and decapitated. He was martyred and his body buried on the Via Flaminia on 14th February, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine (Saint Valentine’s Day) since at least the eighth century.
We may have the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer to thank for the way we celebrate Valentine’s Day. There is no record of romantic celebrations on Valentine’s Day prior to a poem Chaucer wrote around 1375 titled “Parliament of Foules.” He links a tradition of courtly love with the celebration of St. Valentine’s feast day, although this tradition did not exist until Chaucer’s poem received widespread attention.
This tradition was taken up with factory-made cards, which became popular in the nineteenth century. In 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Missouri, began mass producing valentines cards.
Whatever our view of St. Valentine and the day that honours him, it is clear that loving others is God’s intention for us and that Saint Valentine not only practised and shared his faith but showed the love of God by his actions.
We too are called to show Gods love; we are so many passages in the Bible about love and loving each other. In Matthew 22:39 we read. “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. And in John 13:34-35 Jesus says this: “I’ll give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving your loved ones cards, chocolates, a special meal or not… remember: love as God loves us.
Jackie
