Valentine's Day

We are getting hit hard by a major "downeaster" snow storm today. It will undoubtedly wreck the plans of many who were going to do something special to celebrate today. Yesterday, Fox News was interviewing some individuals who were trying to have Valentine's day "played down" because the day did not recognize everyone (singles, etc.). That got me to thinking about why or how Valentine's day ever came to being celebrated.

H.B. London from Focus on the Family presented some traditional legends in his "Pastor's Weekly Briefing." So I quote from his email:

"Many legends have developed over the years as to the origin of Valentine's Day, but most agree that it refers to a man named Valentinus who was martyred in the late third century during the reign of Claudius II. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, three men with the name Valentinus, which was common at that time, were martyred between 269 and 273 AD. Two of the most popular legends that have endured come from the 15th Century. One claims that on the night before Valentine was to be martyred for being a Christian, he passed a love note to his jailer's daughter that read, "From your Valentine." Another states that during a ban on marriages of Roman soldiers by the Emperor Claudius II, St. Valentine secretly helped arrange marriages. Claudius felt that in order to create a perfect army, soldiers should not have to deal with the distractions of marriage. Valentine believed that men who were about to face danger and possible death could only exhibit the required bravery if they were sent off to battle with the love of a wife.

Another theory — regarding the observance of Valentine's Day on February 14 — is that it is the Church's response to the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia on February 15. In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius abolished Lupercalia and declared that the feast of St. Valentine would be on February 14.

Valentine's Day has also now become a time to celebrate the permanence of marriage and to encourage couples to renew their vows."

I hope it is not just one day a year that you recognize that special someone in your life. It should be something that occurs every day of your life. Speaking of H.B. London, he is suppose to be flying in today for our Minister's Institute which begins today. I wonder how the storm is going to disrupt our schedule? Undoubtedly, God has an alternative plan for us, if H.B. cannot make it.