“Roses are red, violets are blue, I was beaten with clubs, beheaded, buried under cover of darkness, disinterred by my followers, and you commemorate my martyrdom by sending each other chocolates.”
A couple of my friends shared that in a meme today (February 14).
Saint Valentine of Terni was martyred in Rome on February 14, AD 269. According to one legend, Valentinus fell out of favor with the emperor Claudius because of his commitment to the truth of Christian teaching concerning Jesus. It was illegal to aid Christians in any way and Valentine was conducting marriage ceremonies for Christian couples. Claudius commanded Valentinus to renounce his faith or be executed.
Pope Gelasius I first established the feast of St. Valentine of February 14 in AD 496. He included Valentine among those “… whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God.”
Another legend says that Valentinus, shortly before his execution, wrote a note to the daughter of Judge Asterius and signed it “from your Valentine.”
These stories may explain thing the focus on Saint Valentine as the patron saint of lovers and on the tradition of sending “Valentine cards” as expressions of love.
The gift of chocolate is because of … well … chocolate.
What holiday doesn’t include chocolate?
And the greeting card industry is really in favor of this particular saint.
The Hallmark company sold the first Valentines Day cards in 1913 (long before creating hundreds of made for tv movies with identical plot lines—I might have made that part up).
Approximately 145 million valentine cards are sold each year (not including the packages that kids exchange at school), making Valentines Day the second largest holiday for sending cards.
And don’t forget about the chocolate.
A few of thoughts occur to me in reflecting on Valentines Day.
One is that we often are clueless when it comes to the history behind our traditions. We do things because we’ve always done them and it just seems normal. Personally, I like the idea of knowing the story behind the things that have become part of my own story. It connects my blip in time to something larger.
Certainly there is an inherent risk involved in learning the history behind what we do. We may discover some things we’d rather not broadcast publicly. But even those things give us an opportunity to adjust our own lives and write new histories for future generations.
Another thought that occurs to me is that almost anything can be commercialized. Some of the commercialization is harmless and fun. Chocolate, for example. Or a Valentine card to someone special that says, “I’m so glad I get to love you.”
Some commercialization is not so good. I’ve seen Valentines Day referred to as the day that reminds single persons of their singleness. The focus on romantic love can also minimize the value of compassion or deep friendships.
A final thought is that real love in all its forms (including romantic love) finds its source and definition in this truth: “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
That means that if we really want to know what love is like, look at God. And if we really want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
In the words of the great hymn writer Charles Wesley, “Amazing love! How can it be, that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”
Be amazed and be amazing today, my friend.
(And it’s ok to share some chocolate).
