St. Valentine, Martyr

We don't know whether St. Valentine's Day celebrates St. Valentine, or another saint of the same name.That is to say, there are several saints named "Valentine" bouncing around in church history. Valentine the Presbyter, whose feast day we celebrate on February 14 in the West (his feast day in the East is July 6), is so poorly attested that he hasn't been officially on the Roman Catholic calendar since 1969.

The legend, though, is that when the warlike Emperor Claudius II forbade marriage among the young men of Rome due to his difficulty in attracting new recruits, Valentine defied him and continued to perform weddings. Marriage, after all, is a divine institution, and society's most basic, as well as a necessary remedy to sexual concupiscence. He simply could not in good conscience honor the imperial edict.

Valentine was arrested and imprisoned. According to the legend, his jailer had a daughter who was intelligent, but blind. Her name was Julia, and her father asked whether Valentine- an educated man- would be willing to tutor her. Valentine agreed. He acquainted her with literature by telling her stories, and taught her arithmetic. Most importantly, though, he taught her about Jesus. She became a Christian. Valentine prayed that if it be God's will her sight be restored to her. Miraculously, it was.

Supposedly Emperor Claudius was impressed with Valentine, took a liking to him, and would have spared his life if it were not for political pressure from opponents of the Church. Valentine was severely beaten, and then beheaded. According to the legend, as he was led to his execution on February 14, 270 (or thereabouts), he gave his jailer a note for Julia, in which he thanked her for her friendship, and urged her to stay close to God and maintain her allegiance to Christ. He signed it, "Your Valentine." Thus, according to legend, was Valentine's Day born, and the tradition of giving each other messages signed the same way.

Despite doubts as to whether he ever actually lived, a skull alleged to be that of Valentine is on display at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome. But St. Anthony's Church in Madrid also claims to have Valentine's skull on display. Luther's comment about the bones of eighteen apostles being on display in Germany alone despite Christ's only having had twelve of them comes to mind. And cynics may make what they will about St. Valentine's relics so prominently featuring a death's head!

In any event, tomorrow is not only St. Valentine's Day but Quinquagesima in congregations which retain the historic one-year lectionary. Its Gospel lesson, Luke 18:31-43, tells how Jesus gave sight to another blind person, and the Epistle is 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Paul's famous "love passage." Both texts are appropriate to the day of St. Valentine's martyrdom, whether or not it actually ever happened.

HT: Manila Bulletin, Wikipedia