It’s February. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. What is this tucked away special day in the middle of winter actually about? I thought I would research beyond the hearts, flowers, candy, and cupids to find out why we celebrate this day. The legend of Saint Valentine goes back to Roman times. It is an interesting example of how the more things change the more they stay the same.
Here’s the story. Roman Emperor Claudius II forbade his soldiers to marry. He thought married men made poor soldiers. Valentinus, a Christian priest, began marrying young Romans who wanted to sanctify their relationship in the eyes of God. This was done secretly, partly because it was breaking the law and also because Christians were persecuted in the Roman Empire at the time. Too bad for Valentinus. He was caught and arrested. However, Emperor Claudius gave this Christian prisoner the chance to repent. Instead, Valentinus tried to convert the emperor. Claudius stood by his pagan gods and tried to convert Valentinus. Neither man could be convinced. Claudius, being emperor, had the last word and sent the unrepentant Christian to the dungeons. There Valentinus is said to have miraculously cured the blind daughter of his jailer. The man was so grateful and amazed, he became a Christian.
The Romans sentenced Valentinus to beating, stoning, and finally decapitation. Just before his execution he sent the jailer’s daughter a letter of farewell, signing it, “Your Valentinus.”
More than 17 centuries have passed since Valentinus was put to death. Today the desire to marry seems as strong as it was then, and it is still prohibited, not for soldiers (there are plenty of war widows who are proof of that) but now for people of the same sex who want to marry and, still in many places, cannot do so.
Poor Valentinus, put in prison and executed for his religious beliefs. How barbaric this seems in our enlightened age—at least until one picks up a newspaper. Centuries have not altered humankind’s lack of tolerance for other religions. Every day people are put in prison, stoned, tortured, excluded, and denigrated because their beliefs and manner of worship don’t match those of the prevailing culture. There are more wars now than the Romans ever dreamed of, and many of them have their roots in religious intolerance.
Despite the dark side of this story, it is really a tale of love. The tradition of sending sweet sentiments signed “Your Valentine”—whose origins may be the handwritten note left for the jailer’s daughter—is testimony to the lessons of love and compassion by which Valentinus sought to guide us centuries ago. Happy Valentine’s Day.