Valentine's Day, February 14

Saint Valentine, history of the patron saint of lovers

February 14 is Valentine's Day, the date on which Valentine's Day is celebrated, the patron saint of lovers. Feast of the Holy Catholic Church that has achieved universal importance.

On February 14, lovers of all ages celebrate Valentine's Day with gifts to their partners, dinners, etc...

Although Valentine's Day is a very popular date, the origin of the celebration is not well known. Today we will try to delve into the history of Saint Valentine, a holy Christian martyr, who gave his life to follow the path of Christ and defend the Sacrament of Matrimony.

Who was Valentine?

Saint Valentine, also called Valentine of Rome or Valentine of Terni , is a Christian saint known worldwide for being the patron saint of lovers. Some scholars believe that Valentine is a term that could have corresponded to two different people. On the one hand, Valentine of Terni, who is believed to have been a Bishop of the town of Terni, and on the other hand, Valentine of Rome, a priest born in Rome.

Most of the sources consulted postulate for the second option, that is, that Saint Valentine was a Catholic priest who carried out his evangelizing work in the city of Rome during the third century AD. C. It is believed that Valentine was born in the Italian capital in the early years of the s. III. The exact date of the Saint's arrival in the world is unknown.

He achieved great prestige in his time for his defense of the Christian faith and the Sacrament of Marriage between lovers.

Saint Valentine, Saint of love and marriage

Rome in the third century was a dangerous place for faithful Christians. The Word of Christ was persecuted by the Roman authorities. Many faithful Catholics perished during those days under the authority of the Roman emperors.

The Roman Emperor Claudius II, popularly known as “The Gothic”, ruled the Roman Empire with a firm hand at the time of Saint Valentine. During his tenure, he enacted many laws and regulations. One of the most controversial measures was the prohibition that Roman soldiers could marry while they were part of the army. According to the emperor's criteria, the family was a burden for a soldier to carry out his work with full guarantees.

Many voices were raised against the law of Claudius II. One of the most notable figures against the newly enacted law was Valentine. The saint did not share the emperor's opinion. He believed that, as the word of God proclaimed, love for one's partner and children, family love, marriage were powerful forces that soldiers had the right to enjoy. Valentine defended that human love was one of the most beautiful creations that God had placed in the world.

The Saint had achieved great notoriety among his contemporaries. His willingness to help those in need and his passionate defense of the Word of Christ and the Sacrament of Matrimony had made Saint Valentine an admired and respected priest among the lower classes of the city of Rome.

The protests of Valentine and others reached the ears of the emperor. The president, full of anger, proclaimed a new order. Any person who participated in the celebration of a marriage, soldier or collaborator, would be sentenced to death.

Despite the terrible risk, Valentine decided to continue celebrating marriages of all those soldiers in love who requested it. As a Christian priest, he had always been spreading the word of the Lord underground. The threat of death would not stop him, he had always believed that the Way of the Lord and human love were reasons for which it was worth giving his life.

Saint Valentine, the martyr of lovers

Saint Valentine united many soldiers with their wives in Holy Matrimony. Great was his work to help couples who wanted to formalize their relationship as lovers.

During the celebration of the marriage of two young lovers, Valentine was discovered by a Roman army patrol. Without any possibility of defense, he was taken prisoner and taken to jail.

While he was imprisoned, tradition tells us of a fact that serves as proof of the great love that God professed for Valentine. It is said that during the saint's captivity, the judge in charge of his custody, known as Asterio, tried to humiliate him by saying:

“Well, if it is true that Christ is the true light, I offer you an opportunity to prove it; In his name, return the light to my daughter's eyes, which for two years have been plunged into darkness, and then I too will be a Christian."

Hearing this, Valentine entrusted himself to the Lord and said:

"You who are, Lord, the true light, do not deny it to this your servant".

At that very moment, God interceded for Valentine and worked the miracle. The judge's daughter regained the vision she had lost. Again, the girl could see as clearly as she had.

That miracle that God performed because of his great love for Saint Valentine had a great impact on the jailers. The judge and his family converted to Christianity and were soon baptized. An adviser to the judge brought the miraculous news to the Emperor.

The Roman president listened carefully to the story that the servant told him. The miraculous recovery of the judge's girl was the work of that Christian God he had heard so much about through news that reached him on Valentine's Day and many others.

Although the story of Valentine overwhelmed the emperor, nothing was going to change the fate of the saint. Claudius II, the Governor of Rome and the high command of the army feared that the great influence that Saint Valentine had over the population could make it difficult to apply new laws. Christians were a rapidly growing community and could become a source of social conflict.

A few days later, Valentine, the main defender of the marriage of soldiers in love, was sentenced to be beheaded. On February 14, 269 AD. C. (some other authors point to the year 272 AD), the sentence was made effective. Saint Valentine, as a martyr, gave his life to defend the word of the Lord.

It is believed that the body of the patron saint of lovers was buried on the Via Flaminia, on the outskirts of Rome. Currently, the body of the saint rests in the Basilica of Saint Valentine in Terni.

Valentine's Day, February 14

The fourteenth of February is Valentine's Day, the day of lovers. The date is established as a result of the death of the saint, but in the first years it is not marked as a holiday.

At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I declares February 14 as a feast day in the Church . The celebration of Valentine's Day had special importance during the Middle Ages in France and Germany. Places where the patron saint of lovers is much loved by the faithful.

Valentine's Day was consolidated over the years. From continental Europe it jumped to the British Isles. At the beginning of the 19th century, Valentine's Day acquired one of the distinctive features of the Anglo-Saxon celebration: the valentines.

Valentines are heart-shaped cards or postcards in which lovers tried to express their feelings of love. Normally, poems, romantic phrases, drawings of the couple, etc... were chosen. This English tradition soon jumped the Atlantic, reaching the United States, where sending these postcards is still typical today.

This celebration remained in the liturgical calendar until the celebration of the Second Vatican Council in 1969. In that year, the Santoral was reorganized and Valentine's Day ceased to be a festive date.

With the passing of the years, the concept of romantic love that Valentine's Day took from the Middle Ages has been fading. Currently, it is considered primarily as the day of lovers, but also as the day of love for the family, love for parents, love for friends, love for God, in short, LOVE with capital letters.

Religious gifts for Valentine's Day

The celebration of February 14, Valentine's Day, has evolved since the 5th century when it was established as a feast of the Holy Mother Church.

As we have said, in our days the day of lovers has become what could be called the day of love, the day of loved ones. Currently, people tend to have details with any of their loved ones, thus extending to many other people the romantic love of a couple that was originally associated with Valentine's Day.

At Religious Articles Brabander we know that the best way to show love for a loved one is by spending time with them. There is no greater gift between two people who love each other than spending time together enjoying each other's company. A phone call, a conversation while taking a walk, a dinner, etc… can be a good opportunity to talk and have fun. Undoubtedly, time is the greatest gift that parents can have with their children, children with parents, friends, couples and marriages, … Nothing makes a person happier than being able to spend time in the company of their loved ones. darlings.

In addition to your love, you may be interested in entertaining someone with a small detail for Valentine's Day. A small religious gift for Valentine's Day. If this is your case, we dare to propose some of the religious articles that we have in our online store.

For example, if you are interested in having a small detail with your priest and giving him a gift, in our store you will find all kinds of liturgical objects: chasubles , stoles, chalices, etc... Items that will be very useful in his daily work.

Maybe you are looking for some kind of different gift for your wife or your husband. Some religious detail that speaks of the love that is lived within a family nucleus. If this is your case, let us recommend a painting of the Holy Family. The image of Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus is one of the symbols of family union, of love between parents and children, between husbands and wives.

We can also recommend Our Father ring or a Virgin del Carmen scapular. There are many options.

We say goodbye, wishing you a happy Valentine's Day!!