“Happy Valentine’s Day!” That felt rather hollow, didn’t it? What do paper hearts, candies, and
undressed angels armed with bows and arrows have to do with February
14th anyway? Who was Saint Valentine? By looking back in
history, we can find a different kind of love displayed by a man
named Valentine.
Valentine was one of the hundreds of
Christians martyred in Rome for his faith. Demonstrating the utmost
love for Christ, Valentine was killed for claiming Jesus as his
Savior on the 14th day of February, A. D. 269. It so
happened that Romans celebrated their festival of love on February
15th. Juno, the goddess of women and marriage, as
well as Pan the god of nature, was honored. In Roman
mythology, Cupid was supposed to be the son of Venus,
the goddess of sensual love. Believe it or not, but our word romance
comes from Rome. In 495, many years after Valentine's death, Roman
Catholic Pope Gelasius announced February 14th as Saint
Valentine's Day in exchange of the pagan festivals on the 15th.
It was an act to Christianize a sinful tradition of Rome.
Today
in America, Valentine's Day is commercialized alongside the rest of our holidays. Should we observe it? Truthfully, love is not something that can be sold. Remembering your
sweetheart or loved ones is wise, and buying flowers and candy to
show them that is precious. But how much further could we go as to
love them with the greatest love and live each day putting their lives' first? Christ's words still echo through the
ages in John 15:13, “Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends.” Love is a daily sacrifice. Love has faith that sees
beyond death to the eternal joy in living for others. Do people know what they are requesting when they sheepishly ask, “Will you be mine Valentine?” They are asking for the love that is willing to
die for Christ's Name sake.
“Love never asks what benefit it will derive from love. Love from its very nature is a disinterested thing. It loves for the creature’s sake, and for nothing else.”
—Charles Spurgeon
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