Together on the Journey:
A Weekly Blog
On February 14, we will mark St. Valentine’s day; but while St. Valentine is a saint, he does not actually have a celebrated feast day in the church. Of course, that shouldn’t stop people from enjoying Valentine’s Day; I’m all for giving cards to let people know you care about them, and I also love any occasion where there is chocolate involved, but Valentine’s Day is truly a secular holiday.
However, despite not having a feast day of his own, Valentine remains an interesting figure in the history of Christianity. He was martyred around the year 270 for his Christian faith.
Valentine lived in Rome in a poor area of the city where he worked as a physician. He was also a priest, but he kept that hidden because at the time, it was illegal to be a Christian. One day, an old man came to see him with his daughter. The old man worked as a jailer in Rome. His daughter had been born blind, so Valentine could not heal her, but he put something cool and wet on her eyes to make them feel better. He and the little girl became friends.
Valentine used herbs that grew in the field outside of Rome to make medicines, and sometimes the little girl would accompany him to the field to pick them. She especially loved the crocuses that grew in the spring.
One day, Valentine was at home and Roman soldiers came and arrested him. They had discovered he was a Christian. Valentine was brought to the jail where the little girl’s father worked.
Before he was taken away to be executed, Valentine asked the old jailer for some parchment, ink, and something to write with. The jailer brought it to Valentine, who wrote on the parchment, rolled it up, and gave it to the old jailer saying, ‘Please give this to your little girl.’
When the old man returned home that night, he gave the rolled up parchment to his daughter. When she unrolled it, a crocus fell to the ground. She asked her father what was written on the parchment and he said, ‘From your Valentine.’ The little girl picked up the crocus and to her great surprise, she could see it.
We remember Valentine because he loved so well.
I always think it’s strange that this is the story on which Valentine’s Day is based, because this is not a story about romantic love, but about two friends who loved one another, and about Valentine’s love for God, even to the point that he was willing to die rather than renounce his faith.
And while the secular celebration of Valentine’s Day seems so focused on romantic love, it’s important to remember that other kinds of love should also be celebrated too, including love for friends, love for family, love for self, and love for God.
So maybe as you celebrate Valentine’s Day, instead of just focusing on romantic love, you could call a friend and wish them a happy Valentine’s Day. Or a sibling. Or a parent. We do a great job of this when we are kids, when we give Valentines to our friends and classmates, but we fall out of this habit as adults. All types of love deserve to be honoured and celebrated, so let us spread the love around. Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
– Jess
(story of St. Valentine a paraphrase of the Godly Play story by the same name)