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Valentine’s Day
We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
Valentine’s Day has come to focus on the love two people have for each other. In reality, Valentine’s Day was meant to honor those who make a way for risky, gracious, and healing love to flourish. The origin of Saint Valentines’ Day is obscure because there are three saints named Valentine. It is possible that the saint acclaimed on this day was one of three men martyred in the third century: a priest, a bishop, and a layperson from Africa. Legend provides us with three charming versions.
One story involves the Emperor Claudius II, who, believing that married men made poor soldiers, required that all Roman soldiers be single. Friar Valentine became “the friend of lovers” by marring them in secret - until he was discovered and martyred.
Another story focuses on Valentine’s love of children, to whom he gave flowers from his garden. When he was imprisoned for being a Christian, children threw bouquets of fresh flowers with love notes to him through the bars.
A third story holds that while in prison, Valentine fell in love with the jailer’s blind daughter and restored her sight. His farewell note ended, “From Your Valentine.” Whatever the truth, it can be said that he died for love.
The first legend reminds us that love is undaunted by threats and, therefore, risky. The second legend reminds us that love rejoices in bringing joy to others and that love given is normally returned; overflowing and pressed down. The third legend reminds us that love has the power to heal. All three powerful demonstrations of love remind us that we, too, can promote and practice love that is risky, generous, and healing. We can do this because we learn from God, who loved us first at great risk, with great abundance, and with great healing power through his Son Jesus Christ, who came to unite us with God, to reveal and share God’s beauty, and to heal our spiritual blindness.
Grace and Peace, Ruben Saenz, Jr.