Everyone knows that February 14th is Valentine’s Day; the day where movie theatres, restaurants and virtually every other thinkable “date location” are filled to the brim. Little do many people know about the origins of the day and the unfortunate tale of St. Valentine, the saint whose feast day is celebrated that same day, and whom the entire day is named after. Granted, Valentine is a Christian saint and not everyone who celebrates the day of love is of that religious denomination but it’s important to understand the origins of the day nonetheless.
Allow me to set the scene… Imagine third-century Rome, under the rule of religiously oppressive emperor Claudius II. He, as ruler of the Roman empire, ordered all to worship the gods of the Roman pantheon. Those who were Christian or associated with such people were considered criminals guilty of a treason punishable by death. As the Church was persecuted, much of what went on had to remain under wraps. One of these early Roman Christians was Valentine, a Catholic priest.
Emperor Claudius had passed a decree banning marriage (Claudius reasoned that soldiers would be more inclined to take risks and put their lives on the line if they had no wives or children to worry about) and it was a mission of Valentine’s to covertly marry couples so that they could live out the rest of their lives as spouses united in holy matrimony. His dedication to his faith was such that even the threat of death was not enough to keep him from practicing and spreading his beliefs. He went along with his business as per normal until he was finally caught and imprisoned.
During his stay in prison, his help was solicited by the jailer, a man by the name of Asterius. His daughter Julia was born blind and it is said that Valentine taught her, prayed for her and through a miracle, cured her of her blindness. This was enough to convince Asterius of God’s existence and he converted to Christianity. At the same time, Claudius, however, for a reason unbeknownst to many, took a bit of a liking to Valentine. In what may well have been a fatal error, Valentine attempted to convert the emperor to Christianity. After what could be described as a miserable failure, he was condemned to death. After beating and stoning failed to kill the priest, he was finally beheaded. The night before his execution, he wrote a letter to Julia, thanking her for her friendship which he signed, “With love from your Valentine,” thus inspiring the romantic messages of today.
Although people today think of roses and chocolates when they think of Valentine’s Day in modern times, most will not recall that the day’s namesake was a martyr who gave his life through a brutal death to ensure that others could live with love. So next time that you send a romantic message to that special someone, remember St. Valentine, without whom the marriages and love of many would never have been possible.
