Today is Valentine’s Day. A holiday that is celebrated
by couples, [generally] despised by singles, and taken advantage of by the
marketing industry to push their products on the public. Some people who may be on the more bitter and
cynical side of things may even refer to it as “singles awareness day.” Because of these things (and really, mostly
because of the latter), I’d like to put in my two cents worth on why I’ve grown
to both appreciate and celebrate this holiday.
I used to not like Valentine’s Day. I didn’t
hate it with a passion, as some individuals appear to do, but I did lean more
towards the view of ‘Boy, this day sucks.
What’s the point of it? Can we
just get it over with already? Oy.’ It wasn’t until I learned the true history of
the holiday that I began to change my view.
See, back in the third century, there was a priest called Valentine, who hailed from
ancient Rome. During this time, the
reigning emperor was Claudius II. Claudius
II was, like most other Roman Emperors, very invested in his army. Because of this, he outlawed marriage. Why?
He believed that men would make better soldiers if they weren’t tied
down to their wives and families.
Valentine, though, believed Claudius’ law to be unjust.
He continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young couples in secret. (It is even thought that he also helped Christians
to escape from torture and imprisonment.)
However, he was soon caught, thrown in jail, and sentenced to death.
The story gets a little murky from here, but it is said that when Valentine was in
prison, he met and fell in love with the jailor’s daughter. Then, on the day he was put to death, he left
a letter behind for her. He signed it, “From
your Valentine.”
The history of Valentine’s Day is the story of a hero, one that stood for his
beliefs, as well as love. So my cause
for celebrating it is because of the person it honours. Not for the marketing, not for the romantic
aspect, and certainly not for the awareness of my single-status. Rather, for the bravery and inspiration that St.
Valentine showed in his life.
Even so, there can even be other reasons for celebrating this day. It's all about love, right? It doesn't even have to be love in the romantic sense; rather, the love for friends, for family, or even for life. In this case, we can refer to the Bible on the true aspects of love.
By showing love to fellow Christians, we will be known for this love (John 13.35). Love is patient, it is kind, it rejoices in truth, it believes, hopes, and endures all things, it never fails, and it is the greatest thing of all (1 Corinthians 13). Through God's love, we are called His children (1 John 3.1). And when we're perfected in love, our lives will be absent of fear (1 John 4.18).
So, my dear reader, I hope that the history of this day has given you cause to look
fondly upon it, rather than despise it for whatever reason(s) you may have. Celebrate it in honour of the life of a man who
lovingly served; or, celebrate it as an opportunity to show our love to the people in our lives whom we appreciate. And maybe, even take this one day, and pointedly decide to serve others with love...and then continue serving even after this day has passed.
