Valentine’s Day to a Catholic recognizes the sacredness or preciousness of marriage in the Catholic Church.
One of the recognized stories of St. Valentine, for whom the day is named, is explained in a Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) article by Father Frank O’Gara, of the Whitefriars Church in Dublin, Ireland.
O’Gara explains the efforts of St. Valentine, a priest who married couples under Roman jurisdiction during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. The Emperor made a law that soldiers could not marry with the theory that this made them better in war.
The Romans encouraged polygamy, especially with their soldiers. But many of the soldiers had realized the truth of the Christian faith and found marriage to be a sacrament (sacred), as believed by the faith.
Fr. Valentine was arrested, for he was secretly marrying these soldiers of the faith. After his arrest he had even prayed and cured the blindness of the daughter of the judge who sentenced him to jail, causing the judge to find his faith in the Christian way.
But the sacredness of marriage was of such for St. Valentine that he was willing to accept his fate of punishment and martyrdom to include beating, stoning and then decapitation given for his performing these weddings.
In his last message to the judge’s daughter he wrote “from your Valentine.” St. Valentine recognizes the importance of marriage with God’s blessing.
Fr. O’Gara speaks of how St. Valentine represents the importance of human love, marriage and sexuality.
But another part of this that Fr. O’Gara also mentions is the cross. Jesus suffered for our sins and when in a marriage we suffer through the hard times and find a way to still love, that is the way of God and what St. Valentine with Valentine’s day represents to this Catholic.
Happy Valentine’s Day and may you find the rewards of God as I have found being a convert to a wonderful Catholic Church.
