Valentine's Day - Then and Now

Valentine's Day - Then and Now
On Sunday, for the “children’s time” I shared the story of the origins of Valentine’s Day – or rather, SAINT Valentine’s Day, its actual name. What we often think of as a “Hallmark Holiday” had its roots in the early Christian church and is today a “saints day” in the Catholic tradition. The story of St. Valentine goes like this:
In Rome in 270 AD, the Emperor Claudius II issued an edict forbidding marriage. (Just goes to show that politics hasn’t changed much over the millennia! Emperors could do such things in those days – and local and state governments are still continuing the practice today with same-sex couples!)
Claudius’s reasoning was a bit flawed -- he believed that married men made poor soldiers because they didn’t want to leave their families...and the empire needed soldiers, and so Claudius, never one to fear unpopularity, abolished the church’s rights to perform marriage ceremonies. That wasn’t too big a deal for the folks who practiced Paganism – they didn’t particularly need any outside influence to “couple up” and create a family -- but for Christians, who were taught by the Church that sex outside of the sacrament of marriage could land them in hell – it was a BIG deal!Naturally, the early Christian church had a bit of a problem with this edict, but the ties between “church and state” were close and many priests and bishops followed the government’s rules for fear of retribution.
However, one Bishop of Interanna (now Terni, Italy) by the name of Valentine, invited young lovers to come to him in secret, where he joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. (Even then there were clergy who were rebels!)Claudius learned of this “friend of lovers” as Valentine was called, and had him brought to the royal palace where he tried to convert Valentine to the Roman gods. Valentine would have none of it...and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity, Claudius didn’t take too well to Valentine’s evangelism and in retaliation sentenced him to death.While in prison awaiting his execution, poor Valentine fell in love with the blind daughter of the jailer. (A priest’s vow of chastity had not come into vogue yet.) According to legend, through his unswerving faith in God and his abiding devotion to his beloved, he miraculously restored her sight. He signed a farewell message to her before his execution with the phrase “from your Valentine”, a phrase that would long outlive its author. On February 14, 270 AD Valentine was clubbed, stoned, and beheaded by the Roman Empire.Later, Pope Gelasius (496 AD) would declare Valentine a martyr and a saint with his very own “Saint’s Day” - February 14 – and today we continue to remember our loved ones in honor of this Saint of the early Church.
Which brings me to the “today” part of this story. Evidently the religious and political communities haven’t learned much over the years because edits that keep lovers apart have never worked – and won’t work now or ever… and there will always be those who will stand on the side of the oppressed.
In celebration and recognition of good ole’ St. Valentine, I’ll be performing a Holy Union service on February 14 for two women who want to solemnize their commitment to each other and proclaim their love in front of friends and family.
St. Valentine – You Rock!