St. Valentine & Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. It has become a special day to recognize and show appreciation for your Sweetheart, whomever that person is. It could be any loved one, your spouse, your child, special friend, parent. A day of love.  Did you wonder how Valentine's Day came about?

The day has its roots in Christianity during the days of the early church (269). It seems there was a Roman Priest, Valentinus, who was executed because he defied the emperor.  The Emperor Claudius the second had this idea that men without family & wives were better soldiers so he decided to outlaw marriage. Now we know that not to be true...men are happier and better off with us women! LOL

Well Father Valentinus didn't think too much of this so he celebrated  the sacrament of marriage in secret.  The Emperor caught wind of it and sentenced him to death. Legend has it that while awaiting his execution, Father Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. The night before his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine."

From then on  Father Valentinus became the symbol of love.

In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom. He is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers, young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses.

Prayer to St Valentine (from The Catholic Primer)

 

O glorious advocate and protector,
St Valentine,
look with pity upon our wants,
hear our requests,
attend to our prayers,
relieve by your intercession the miseries
under which we labour,
and obtain for us the divine blessing,
that we may be found worthy to join you
in praising the Almighty for all
eternity: through the merits of
Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

May you have a blessed St. Valentine's Day full of love and happiness.