Do We Make Too Big of a Deal Out of Valentine’s Day?
Have you ever wondered about the origin of Valentine’s Day? The day is named for a Saint (Saint Valentine) who was executed for his faith. There are legends that are attached to his name. We know how legends are. Legends are stories that are thought to be connected with a person and their legacy even if the legends are not completely true. In fact, it is believed that there might even be more than one person named Valentine. According to Christianity.com, (for all of the things and legends in this article about Valentine) it is possible that there was two or three with the name Valentine. Nevertheless, the name Valentine is associated with February 14.
The legend has it that February 14, 269 was the execution date of Saint Valentine. Who was executed for his faith. It is believed that he was beaten with clubs and then beheaded. There are three legends that speculate who Valentine was and what he did.
One legend is that he helped those who were facing execution. It is speculated that before his arrest, he was not a believer but became a believer along the way of ministering to others facing martyrdom. After his conversion, he refused to recant on his faith and would sign letters to his friends saying “Remember your Valentine”.
A second legend holds that Valentine was a priest who “secretly” married couples so that newlywed husbands could avoid being deployed as soldiers which did not make emperor Claudius happy at a time when he needed more soldiers for his army.
A third legend has it that he was a priest who refused to sacrifice to pagan gods. On the date on which he was to be executed he left a note for his daughter that said, “Your Valentine”.
Are these three different legends for three different people or three different legends for one person?
We make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day but we need to make an even bigger deal out of the love of Christ every day. The love of Christ compels us to love one another as Christ loved us because others will know that we are His disciples by our love in His service (John 13:34-35) The greatest love of all is that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for greater love has no man that He lay down His life for His friends (John 15:13). Not only did Jesus die for His friends, He also died for the ungodly (Romans 5:8). Valentine’s Day might inspire us to buy cards for special people in our lives one day a year but love of Christ compels us to love even our enemies. We might associate Valentine’s Day with romantic love for a day but Christ calls us to exhibit His love 24/7/365.
Pastor John M. Williams, III
