THE
STORY OF SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY
Every
February, across Europe and its former colonies, candy, flowers,
and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St.
Valentine. But who is this mysterious person, and why do we celebrate
this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day is both fascinating
and shrouded in mystery. Not only was Valentine a sympathetic, heroic,
and romantic figure, he was a committed believer.
We
go back to 260 AD, to the hills of central Italy that surround the
golden city of Rome, to gorgeous valleys filled with farms, orchards,
and vineyards and little villages. People were still called by one
name back then, rather than having a first and last name; men still
wore tunics and robes. The Roman Empire was still in place but starting
to crumble from within due to immorality and corruption, and it
was facing enemies at its northern gates - the European barbarians.
Situated
among the farms and vineyards of the Valerina Valley, we find the
bustling town of Terni in the hills due north of Rome, and there
we see a young man, trained as a physician, studying parchments.
The parchments, however, are not medical in nature - they are the
writings of the early church fathers and copies of the scriptures.
This young man, Valentine, studied under the mentoring of his pastor
and eventually was asked to serve as a pastor of one of the congregations
in Rome (before the days of the Roman Catholic Church, Popes, etc.).
Several years later, while still single and in his 30s, his mentor
passed away and Valentine became the overseer (bishop) of the congregations
in his home town of Terni.
In
the year 268 AD, Claudius II became the emperor of the steadily
weakening Roman Empire. In those days, military leaders became emperors
to keep the empire safe from attacking European tribes. Claudius
was tall, with fiery eyes, and so strong that he could knock out
the teeth of man or beast with one punch. He and another commander
supposedly conspired to kill the previous Emperor, Gallienus, saying
that someone else had stabbed him in his tent, adding that the emperor's
dying words handed the Empire to Claudius. Famous for fighting back
Germanic and Gothic raiders in northern Italy (Milan area), Claudius
was also known for being cruel and harsh to the Christians of the
early church.
Within
several months of becoming emperor, Claudius decided that single
men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, so
he outlawed marriage for all young men in the Province of Umbria,
which included Rome and Valentine's town of Terni. He also somewhat
encouraged homosexuality among his soldiers, believing that men
would fight harder to preserve the lives of their lovers fighting
beside them. Valentine, realizing the injustice and immorality of
this decree against marriage, secretly defied Claudius and continued
to perform marriages for young lovers, especially the young Christian
couples of Terni.
It
was a dangerous time for Christians. Although Claudius didn't engage
in the wholesale slaughter of believers, like the emperors before
and after him, Christians were still mistreated, imprisoned, beaten
and lost their businesses because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
Terni was no exception to the rule. As a physician, Valentine, with
another pastor named Marius and his family, assisted Christians
who were being persecuted, when even helping them was considered
a crime. They managed to sneak into prisons to provide medical help
to Christians who were being beaten and tortured.
After
several years of eluding authorities, Valentine was caught and imprisoned
for giving aid to Christians in prison. Valentine's jailor became
acquainted with the young doctor-pastor and in passing mentioned
that he had a blind daughter. Valentine asked to see her, and through
his medical know-how and by the Lord's grace, he was able to restore
sight to the jailer's daughter. Both the jailor and his daughter
placed their faith in Christ. Claudius heard of this act of benevolence
and took a liking to his prisoner
until Valentine made a
strategic error - he tried to convert the Emperor. Angry, Claudius
condemned him to death.
Now,
legend has it that Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine'
greeting himself. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote
a letter to the jailor's daughter, which he signed "Your Valentine."
Because of the use of the word "Your," two theories exist
- pick your favourite: 1) that while he was there in prison, Valentine
fell in love with the jailor's daughter who visited him during his
confinement., or 2) that, because of his selfless kindness, his
leading them to saving faith, and his impending death, the jailor
and his daughter grew very close to Valentine, and he loved her
as a sister.
Valentine
was sent by the emperor to the Prefect of Rome who found that an
offer of riches and positions would not make Valentine renounce
his faith. The Prefect ordered Valentine to be beaten with clubs
and then stoned. Since the young man survived this ordeal, when
others would have died, Valentine was then taken out to Rome's Flaminian
Gate and beheaded. That was on February 14, in the year 269 AD.
He was buried in the catacombs along the Flaminian Way, one of the
many roads that led into Rome.
The
news of Valentine's selfless life and his death spread throughout
Umbria, and fueled the conversions of many more. In the years that
followed, any person acting in selfless love around the Province
of Umbria was called a "Valentine."
About
80 years later, in the year 350 AD, things were different. The emperor
himself, named Constantine, had professed faith in Christ, and changed
the official religion of the Roman Empire to Christianity. A church
building was built in Valentine's memory near where he was buried.
As the Roman Empire crumbled in 476 AD, the gate known as the Flaminian
Gate where he had been killed became known as Valentine's Gate.
The
Romans had a lewd, superstitious custom each February 15th where
boys drew girls' names in honor of the goddess of sex and fertility,
called "Februata Juno." In 496 AD, a pastor named Gelasius
and several other Roman pastors, seeing the perfect opportunity
to replace a lewd February 15th holiday with one of honorable love
and romance on February 14th, "baptised" the mid-February
holiday as Valentine's Day.
Eventually
declared a saint by the Catholic Church, Valentine became one of
the most popular saints in England and France in the Middle Ages.
People began to superstitiously believe that half way through February,
the love of Saint Valentine began to affect all of nature, and the
birds began to pair off and chose their mates. The famous old English
author, Geoffrey Chaucer, of Canterbury Tales fame, wrote in 1389:
For
this was sent on Saint Valentine's Day
When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.
For
this reason, the day was looked upon as specially consecrated to
lovers and as a proper occasion for sending lovers' tokens and writing
love letters signed by "Your Valentine." Other traditions
vary from culture to culture, like pinning bay leaves to your pillow
on Valentine's Eve so that you will see your future mate that night
in your dreams.
But
all in all, Valentine of Terni was a brave, heroic, compassionate,
and loving man whose selfless love and courageous deeds upheld the
sanctity of marriage, brought comfort to a host of believers in
the difficult days of the early church, and showed the way of salvation
to the lost. Valentine is one of us, and we should be glad to celebrate
a day in honour of his love and his death.
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