Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Whatever Happened to Saint Valentine?

When we were little, February 14 was called Saint Valentine’s Day. Whatever happened to him?

Well, it turns out that Valentine was a very popular name in ancient Rome, and the Roman Catholic Church dropped the celebration from the list of saints in 1969 because they could not identify one person who could have been the namesake! It could be for a bishop of Terni beheaded during the reign of Claudius II, or a simple priest who was thrown into jail for helping persecuted Christians and beheaded on February 14. Or is it named for someone who secretly married lovers in the Christian fashion when it was forbidden, or wrote letters to his jailer’s daughter, or was a missionary in Africa?

Whoever the inspiration, the concept of expressing your love to someone close to you should not be relegated only to one day in February. Tell people often, and show them. Love one another!

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