Amore (love) to all on St. Valentine's Day!
I really wasn't sure about the origin of Valentine's Day and even if it really had anything to do with saints and the Catholic Church at all. So I did some research, not very in-depth, just directly from some web-sites. From what I found, the traditional day that we celebrate love is not originally a "commerical" secular holiday for selling chocolates, valentine cards, roses, perfume, jewelry, wine, or romantic dinners and getaways! That's the fun spin-off stuff of a very real designated feast to honor a saint (or more as you will soon read about)!
There really was a St. Valentine, or two, or even seven Valentines who were martyred in ancient Rome and elsewhere. The Catholic Church has a list of recognized saints which actually lists SEVEN St. Valentines! Of those, Valentinus the Presbyter and St. Valentine (Bishop of Interamna, Terni, Italy) are listed among the saints. One of the St. Valentines was persecuted for helping Christians and for marrying Christians when the order of the day mandated that assisting Christians was against the law and punishable by the law. He was ultimately beheaded, as were all of the Valentines martyred for their TRUE LOVE for the Catholic Faith and Christ!
The first feast of St. Valentine was declared by Pope Gelasisus the First in 496. Some say that the French tradition of associating a day in the middle of the month of February with the time when birds begin to mate was selected for the feast of St. Valentine's Day . . . ah-h-h-h LOVE BIRDS!
I really wasn't sure about the origin of Valentine's Day and even if it really had anything to do with saints and the Catholic Church at all. So I did some research, not very in-depth, just directly from some web-sites. From what I found, the traditional day that we celebrate love is not originally a "commerical" secular holiday for selling chocolates, valentine cards, roses, perfume, jewelry, wine, or romantic dinners and getaways! That's the fun spin-off stuff of a very real designated feast to honor a saint (or more as you will soon read about)!
There really was a St. Valentine, or two, or even seven Valentines who were martyred in ancient Rome and elsewhere. The Catholic Church has a list of recognized saints which actually lists SEVEN St. Valentines! Of those, Valentinus the Presbyter and St. Valentine (Bishop of Interamna, Terni, Italy) are listed among the saints. One of the St. Valentines was persecuted for helping Christians and for marrying Christians when the order of the day mandated that assisting Christians was against the law and punishable by the law. He was ultimately beheaded, as were all of the Valentines martyred for their TRUE LOVE for the Catholic Faith and Christ! The first feast of St. Valentine was declared by Pope Gelasisus the First in 496. Some say that the French tradition of associating a day in the middle of the month of February with the time when birds begin to mate was selected for the feast of St. Valentine's Day . . . ah-h-h-h LOVE BIRDS!
The traditional Catholic calendar still includes the Feast of St. Valentine and a priest's vestments are often red on this day. Red is the color of blood, which is not only what the Sts. Valentine shed for their love of our Lord, but more importantly what our Lord shed FOR EACH OF US for His magnificant, unselfish, PERFECT LOVE and desire for us to live with Him in eternity.
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Faith, Hope, and Love . . . and the greatest of these is LOVE!
Have a beautiful, faith-filled, loving day and evening,
~ bella
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