Saint Valentine

Saint Valentine: Most people celebrate Valentine’s Day without ever asking who Valentine actually was. There was not just one Valentine. There were at least two early Christian martyrs named Valentine who lived in the 3rd century during the Roman Empire. The most commonly referenced one was a priest in Rome under Emperor Claudius II. According to early tradition, Claudius believed single men made better soldiers and supposedly restricted marriages for young men. Valentine, being a Christian priest, continued performing marriages in secret because he believed marriage was ordained by God, not the state. For that, he was arrested. While imprisoned, some accounts say he befriended the jailer’s daughter and prayed for her healing. Before his execution around 269 AD, he allegedly wrote a note signed “from your Valentine.” That phrase later evolved into what we know today. He was executed on February 14. Now here’s what matters. The early church honored Valentine as a martyr, someone who remained faithful to Christ under persecution. The day originally had nothing to do with chocolate, romance marketing, or cultural pressure. It was about covenant faithfulness and sacrificial love. Over centuries, especially in medieval Europe, the day slowly became associated with romantic love. By the time commercial culture got hold of it, it turned into what you see today. But at its root, Valentine’s Day began with a believer who would not bow to state pressure and who honored marriage as sacred. Whether every detail of the legends is historically verified is debated. What is certain is this: Valentine was executed for his Christian faith. Here’s the takeaway. Love in Scripture is not sentiment. It is sacrifice. The Greek word agapē describes covenant love that gives itself for another. That is the kind of love Christ showed on the cross. That is the kind of love marriage is supposed to reflect. So if you are going to celebrate February 14, remember this: The day was born out of conviction, not consumerism. Real love costs something. And that kind of love still matters. - More Joy Ministries - Tony Campbell