On February 14 every year, people mark Valentine’s Day around the world as candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. This day is manifested in the expression of sincere love, affection, and devotion to others. It is merely an embodiment of pure human feelings of nobility and sublime feelings.
It is surprising that people mark the day of sincere love and loyalty in an expression that “love is never wrong”, at a time when the world abounds with events expressing hate, violence, wars, and discrimination. On this day, the world peoples should realize that no matter what evil prevails in the world love always wins in the end and maintains the upper hand.
References to St. Valentine indicate that he was a Roman priest and physician who suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus about 270. He was buried on the Via Flaminia, and Pope Julius I reportedly built a basilica over his grave. Other narratives identify him as the bishop of Terni, Italy, who was martyred, apparently also in Rome, and whose relics were later taken to Terni. It is also related that St. Valentine signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and healed from blindness. So, Valentine’s Day as a lovers’ festival dates at least from the 14th century.
Saint Valentine realized that love sustains through life. Actually love allows us to give ourselves as a self-donation to others. While we mark Valentine’s day, we are invited to express selfless love and introduce the warmth of care and sacrifice to others.
As several conflicting views have been expressed about the origins of Valentine’s day, yet what is important on this day is to get to the crux of the feast, namely the expression of love and the elimination of all forms of grudge and hatred.
It is also worthy to note that prior to this feast or any other feast that denotes love, that the greatest person ever who instilled the message of self-abnegation in addition to love, peace, and dedication is Lord Jesus Christ. The message expressed by Lord Jesus further surpasses all other messages and calls for love. It is a universal message where Lord Jesus dedicated His life on Earth to entrench the message of love. He died on the Cross and made this noble sacrifice in an expression of love to humanity. He rose from the dead three days later to convey a message to the world that the message of love never ends and that He is alive to help humanity express love in all its forms.
The immortal message of love was expressed by Lord Jesus Christ which states, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” (John 15: 12-14)
