This special day dedicated to St. Valentine originated from the actions of this devout Christian bishop who defied the laws of the officials in the mid 200s.
He could not stop sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ so was confined in a local jail.
During that time he preached the gospel to whomever would listen.
The judge at the time challenged Bishop Valentine’s Christian faith by saying, “If you believe in the power given to you by God in Christ Jesus, heal my daughter of blindness.” Valentine not only healed his daughter but the judge and all 44 members of his family became Christians.
So did all the jail guards.
The judge then freed every Christian who had been jailed because they would not denounce their faith in Christ Jesus.
Later, Bishop Valentine went to Rome and was preaching the Gospel, which was illegal to do at the time because
Claudius II was the only ‘god’ the people should embrace.
Bishop Valentine was arrested but seemed to be in good stead with Claudius II while he was under arrest.
Bishop Valentine even healed a jailer’s blind daughter. Claudius II circulated an edict that no Christian couples could marry but Bishop Valentine defied that edict and married Christian couples who had been jailed for their faith.
Because Bishop Valentine had a good relationship with Claudius II and had performed miracles, he was bold enough to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Claudius II.
This enraged Claudius II and Bishop Valentine was sentenced to scourging until near death and then decapitation if he did not reject his Christian faith.
Of course he could not do this.
The day of his death, Feb. 14, Bishop Valentine wrote a note to the jailer’s daughter who had been healed of blindness and signed it, "Your Valentine."
From this story the tradition began, several centuries later, to send a note of love and encouragement and sign it, “Your Valentine.”
St. Valentine is the patron saint of plagues, bee keepers, fainting, travelers engaged couples, married couples, young couples and LOVE.
All we need to do is follow the example of St. Valentine: To love others more than ourselves by sharing an act of kindness.
Make a list of all the ACTS of kindness that you see demonstrated this week.
Perhaps you are the recipient of kind acts or the giver of kind acts.
If we each do an act of kindness every day that is as simple as smiling at someone who is having a bad day, we can change the world . . . one 'valentine' at a time.
