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Today is Valentine’s Day. I thought I’d remind you. I have forgotten this day in the past. I really like to remember and do something special for my spouse, don’t you? So, take note of the day.
Do you know why we celebrate Valentine’s Day? The exact origin of the Christian celebration is debated. One idea is that the Roman Catholic church replaced a pagan fertility festival with a Christian feast day to honor St. Valentine.* But the problem is which Valentine? There were actually three different saints called Valentine or Valentinus. All were martyrs. So if they were martyrs, where did the idea of celebrating romance come from? Well, that’s pretty murky too! One possibility is the Roman emperor outlawed marriage, so he would have more single young men to become soldiers. A priest named Valentine continued to marry young couples in secret. But there are other possibilities as well.
So, rather than digging further into Valentine’s Day history, maybe we should just remember that in God’s plan romantic love and marriage are linked. The Song of Solomon describes the love of a groom and his bride. It predates Valentine’s Day. Today, don’t just celebrate romantic love. Remember that God created us with the capacity for romantic feelings and the best way to experience them, namely marriage. Take a moment to thank God for these things.
*”History of Valentine’s Day,” History.com, https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.