St. Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is February 14th. How many times have we celebrated Valentine’s Day in our life? Do you remember in grade school each student delivering his or her cards and hoping that you received one from everybody? When we get to High School we hope that our current crush gives us one.
Little tidbit: let me mention that my Grandfather Schubert and Godfather/Uncle Schubert were both named Valentine.
“Jesus said, “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:12-13).”
We enter college or the workforce as we get older and our heart’s desire is now centered on that special significant person in our life. We ask ourselves while shopping, “Which card should I select? Which message best describes my feelings? What kind of card will he/she give me?” Later, we are married and hopefully still getting those roses or jewelry or new clothes. Ten to twenty years later we end up getting a new set of knives for the kitchen or screwdrivers for fixing things. Not to mention that we have fully forgotten that, in the secular culture, the word “Saint” is totally omitted out of it. How sad a commentary.
So who is Saint Valentine?
“There are actually three answers to this question. By one particularly popular account, Valentine was a third-century Italian bishop of Terni, a city north of Rome, who was put under house arrest in the residence of a Roman judge named Asterius for practicing the Christian faith against the command of Emperor Claudius II. Undaunted by persecution and punishment, Valentine spoke to the judge often about Jesus Christ, until the unbelieving judge challenged the
bishop to cure his blind daughter to prove the authenticity of his God. Valentine placed his hands on the girl’s eyes, and they were opened. Asterius quivered with wonder and asked Valentine what he should do in light of such a miracle. Valentine ordered him to destroy all the false gods in his house and be baptized. After the conversion of Asterius’s whole household, as they stood in the rubble of idols, Valentine was summoned to appear before the emperor, and though Claudius found Valentine charming, he ordered the bishop to be executed for standing firm in the faith. And so, Valentine was beaten with clubs and beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate on February 14, 269—but not before he wrote a note of comfort to the girl whose sight he had restored, signing it, “From your Valentine.” (Quote from https://catholiceducation.org/resources/history-of-st-valentine) More stories on St. Valentine below.
But what I do know is that every night John and I get “pinned” with a heart. Katie comes to say “Good Night” and gives each of us a Valentine sticker on our shirt, she hugs us, and says (sometimes) “Your the best parent. Job well done!” Can you imagine your child . . . including adult children . . . doing this every night? We are so blessed by this daughter of ours and she just goes on and on every day with hugs and kisses. Ask any of her caregivers or people at church and they will echo in unison the very same thing: “She gives the best hugs!”
My favorite Valentine, however comes from my daughter Kate and gets delivered daily! Can you imagine getting a Valentine every night before you go to bed from your child? Well this is the story of the past two months for me. I don’t know if Katie realized that Valentine’s Day was coming up. I don’t know what inspired her.
Katie putting a heart sticker on her dad’s (John) T-shirt
“Crucified” print by artist Michelle White. Original is a charcoal drawing. Sizes are suitable for framing in standard frames. Reasonably priced with free shipping to continental USA. Comes in three sizes.
While it seems that the exchange of "Valentines" is more the result of secular custom rather than the memory of St. Valentine, and that the celebration has been further paganized with cupids and the like, there is a Christian message that should be remembered. The love of our Lord, depicted beautifully in the image of His most Sacred Heart, is a sacrificial, self-less, and unconditional love. Such is the love that each Christian is called to express in his own life, for God and neighbor. Clearly, St. Valentine matter showed such a love, bearing witness to the faith in his dedication as a priest and in the offering of his own life in martyrdom. On this Valentine's day, looking to the example of this great saint, each person should offer again his love to the Lord, for only by doing so can he properly love those who are entrusted to his care and any other neighbor. Each person should again pledge his love to those loved ones, praying for their intentions, promising fidelity to them, and thanking them for their love in return. Never forget Jesus said,
"This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13). St. Valentine fulfilled this command, and may we do the same. Story taken from https://catholiceducation.org/resources/history-of-st-valentine
“Sacred Heart of the Father” depicts the love that God has for all his children. With open arms He invites us to receive His immeasurable love. Sizes are suitable for framing in standard frames. Reasonably priced with free shipping to continental USA. Comes in three sizes.
Print displayed in mat.
“In the early martyrologies, three different St. Valentines are mentioned, all sharing Feb. 14 for a feast day. Unfortunately, the historical record is sparse. The first St. Valentine was a priest and physician in Rome. He along with St. Marius and his family comforted the martyrs during the persecution of Emperor Claudius II, the Goth. Eventually, St. Valentine was also arrested, condemned to death for his faith, beaten with clubs, and finally beheaded on Feb. 14, AD 269.
He was buried on the Flaminian Way. Later, Pope Julius I (333-356) built a basilica at the site which preserved St. Valentine's tomb. Archeological digs in the 1500s and 1800s have found evidence of the tomb of St. Valentine. However, in the thirteenth century, his relics were transferred to the Church of Saint Praxedes near the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where they remain today.”
Story taken from https://catholiceducation.org/resources/history-of-st-valentine
“The popular customs of showing love and affection on St. Valentine's Day is almost a coincidence with the feast day of the saint: During the Medieval Age, a common belief in England and France was that birds began to pair on Feb.14, "half-way through the second month of the year." Chaucer wrote in his "Parliament of Foules" (in Old English): "For this was on Seynt Valentyne's day, When every foul cometh ther to choose his mate." For this reason, the day was dedicated to "lovers" and prompted the sending of letters, gifts, or other signs of affection.”
Story taken from https://catholiceducation.org/resources/history-of-st-valentine Misspelling on purpose: Old English.