THE STORY, LESSONS AND CENTRAL THEME OF VALENTINE!

BY:

GODDAY O. AGHEDO

February 14th of every year is commemorated in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome, who was a Catholic Priest. At a time in the 269 AD when the then Emperor Claudius sought men to join is army by force, due to the observable apathy put up by young men towards military service. In order to scale through with his plans, a decree was enacted forbidding young men to getting married. This was in the belief that men would soon get bored and then join the army.

However, Rev. Fr Valentine believed that marriage was sacred, an institution established by God Himself and a necessary tool for recreating those who would have to be used by God in various capacities, including the army; to better the lots of mankind. It was on this solemn and heaven borne conviction that he resolved to be wedding couples secretly, against the law of Emperor Claudius to the detriment of his life.

This did not continue for long before it reached the awareness of the desperate Emperor, who in fury commanded Valentine's Arrest and imprisonment. As punishment, a trio sentence was passed on him: to be BEATEN, STONED and DECAPITATED. Saint Valentine died as a martyr, he tread on a heroic path; he chose to take a stand with God, His ideals and the well being of His people. This is the life we are called to live – to live for Christ and for humanity.

While in prison, the jailer by name Axterius permitted his blind daughter, Julia to always visit Valentine and to learn as much as possible from his wealth of knowledge before final execution; for Valentine was highly esteemed as a man of great wisdom, knowledge and intellectual capacities. Valentinus (his real Roman name) took advantage of her visitations to teach her lots of things, ranging from religion, morality, spirituality, faith in Christ and salvation, to Mathematics and other academic subjects. In the process of time, while responding to Julia's question regarding her desire to see the beautiful things he had said about God and the creatures, in relation to God's willingness to restore her sight, both of them clasped their hands together and burst into prayers. The result of that was the healing of her blindness, and she screamed: "I can see!" Prior to his execution, he wrote a letter to Julia, encouraging her to remain in the faith. The last line of the letter read: "Yours Valentine."

On February 14th, 270 AD, the letter was published (I mean it went widely public) and the date was set aside as lover's day, for couples and intending couples. 

But let's consider the real ideal behind VALENTINE. I think this date has been grossly abused over the years. Valentine day is not a day for romance, sex and practice of eroticism or immorality. It also goes beyond friendliness, presentation of bouquets of pink and red flowers, expression of kindness and love as the case may be. These are all good deeds to be done, but the bitter truth must be told: they were not the particular reason for his death.

The central theme for valentine day is: Ideology, Purpose, Belief, Strong Conviction, or Commitment to Truth. Valentine did not die for love; he died for what he believed. He died for the fulfilment of his purpose, and his convictions about what God says about marriage. He preferred dying for the truth to compromising or taking side with the Emperor. His concepts and ideologies about life in general were more precious to him than his life, hence he could lay down his life for them rather than bowing to Claudius' decree. He stood by, and defended the light; shunning the raging darkness. This is what February 14th is all about. Ask yourself, "What am I willing to die for?" A man who has nothing to die for has no reason to live on. We too, in our various capacities, no matter how insignificant it may appear, must be readily willing to give up something for a course we believe and for the general good of the society. True valentine is when we are willing to give more of ourselves than we expect to receive from others. May we be true valentines in our homes, offices, churches, schools and everywhere we find ourselves. What is your belief? What do you stand for? What can you die for? What are you convictions? Valentine is finding something for which you can risk your comfort, freedom and even your life, to the glory of God.

LESSONS FROM ST. VALENTINE

The misconception about the person of St. Valentine and the events leading to his martyrdom has continued to deepen. Very often I hear people allege that he died for a love type called “Eros” not “agape” and consequently, it becomes unworthy to mark that date in his honour. Many preachers have held that opinion tenaciously over the years, which make it even more worrisome. This position of theirs is not farfetched from the spate of immorality that takes place on February 14^th each year. But it is not still enough justification for their poise .

Even on Christmas days, Easter and other holy days of obligation, people still sin and commit immorality. I don’t want to sound apologetic, but I desire to have you understand the integrity of St. Valentine for which he should truly be worthy of a memorial. I don’t do anything very special or lovelier on Valentine’s Day because I believe that a good life and a lovely life should be a daily affair all year round. But on February 14th, I ponder on the lessons this celebrity leaves behind and allows it to challenge me into a better life of commitment to just courses.

Let me begin the demystification process by asking a series of questions: did Valentine actually die for love (Erotic love)? Was he a rebel and a stubborn person? Did he deserve the death? Did he die for selfish personal reasons? Was he actually promoting sexual promiscuity and infidelity? Were his actions contrary to God’s will? Did he on the long run gain anything financially, materially or physically for his actions? These and many other salient questions are begging for sincere and objective answers.

Honestly, all of the above questions have a simple answer, which is an EMPHATIC NO! Valentino did not die for love (i.e. eros). If there was anything love associated with his death, it must be love for God’s commands, love for God’s standard and ordinance, love for humanity and the love that moves a man to defend the institution God Himself had established from the destructive actions of perverts, tyrants and so called lords who had no atom of regards for the rights of the populace.

Perhaps, I should remind you that those promising young men usually conscripted by the government into the army, though occasionally, had women (basically prostitutes and few others forced against their wills) brought to them for sexual relations. This moral indecency was initiated to appease the men, knowing they wouldn’t get married. That means, directly or indirectly, the government of Emperor Claudius II was perpetuating sexual promiscuity and harlotry. Valentino didn’t like that; hence, he rose to the task of putting an end to immorality, by promoting marriage within the ambit of the scriptures. This just course projected him as a rebel and law breaker before the then Emperor and the Roman officers. He became the black sheep that had to be punished. For the purpose of reminder, the followings are the consequences of the decree, to which Valentino stood in opposition.

a.      The decree denied the men their rights to the choice of life

b.      The decree made sexual immorality legal, in a sense

c.       The decree increased the number of heart breaks, especially for those already engaged before the conscription into the army.

d.      The decree brought names of families which had only one son into the danger of extinction, since there was no other son to promote the lineage through procreation.

e.      The decree was an expression of self reliance and self protection rather than trusting the Almighty God for security.

f.        The decree was a direct attack on God’s idea and agenda for procreation.

g.      The decree was flooded with selfish interests, self aggrandizement, autocracy and pride, which are indubitably not part of God’s nature.

h.      The decree engendered single parenting and broken homes for the family of newly wedded grooms who were victims.

i.        The decree changed the destiny of young men, stole their sense of fulfilment by engaging them in a profession other than that which constitutes their passions and purpose in life.

j.        The decree brought young men in danger of death against their consent or will; leaving them without a name, a child, properties or even a legacy.

Dear reader, these were the things St. Valentino saw and could not dance to the tone of the emperor’s directive. He chose to be different, to defend the course of his faith and the future of his people. He fought for the fundamental human rights of his people. He chose to stand for the truth, justice and service to God through humanity, and that cost him his life. You can now understand that his death was purely sacrificial but not for anything related to erotic love as some people wrongly claim.

I therefore present to you ten (10) lessons to learn from St. Valentine:

1.      IDEOLOGY: he was a man of godly principles, who would not be tossed about by the wind of any man-made decree. He was not just a priest of God, but one whose ideologies were built on God’s Word. He was willing to risk his life for his ideology. Today, what is your ideology? What do you stand for?

2.      UNCOMPROMISING: he was threatened, thrown into prison, most doubtlessly battered and assaulted, humiliated, insulted and degraded, yet he didn’t change his mind, he didn’t condescend to the level of inhumanity. He remained firm on the truth and his God inspired opinions. In the face of trials, ridicule, temptations and suffering, will you still proclaim your faith in Christ? Will you still profess Catholicism?

3.       SELF-SACRIFICE: All the patriarchs, martyrs and fathers in faith have this quality in common. He allowed himself to be murdered for the emancipation of the entire Roman Empire. How much are you willing to give up for the sake of the gospel or the welfare of those in your neighbourhoods or your co-parishioners?

4.      PATIENCE: It did not matter much to Valentino how long he would spend in the prison or how much he had been misunderstood. He simply was patient with his captors. How long are you willing to put up with an unrepentant sinning brother or sister?

5.      WALKING IN THE MIRACULOUS: Julia, the daughter of the jailer, was born blind but had her sight restored by the power of God through her encounters with St. Valentine. My question is this, how can a man who is on his way to death because of erotic love walk in the miraculous? By the way, how many of those who claim erroneously that he died for erotic love, will fall in love with a blind girl. Moreover, he never knew Julia until he was jailed. Do you believe that God still performs miracles, even through the Eucharist?

6.      DEDICATION: Part of the duty of a priest is to join people together in marriage. He was dedicated and was not deterred by the decree of the emperor. How dedicated are you to your official duties?

7.      FAITHFULNESS: He was faithful to his priestly vows to stand for truth and integrity against all odds. He was faithful to teaching ONLY what the Bible says about marriage. How often do you break your vows or fail to fulfil your promises to God and fellow mankind.

8.      PROMOTER OF GOD’S PLAN: He was so addicted to God that he preferred promoting God’s idea of a holy family to promoting the Emperor’s decree, though to the detriment of his physical life. I can imagine him speaking aloud like St. Peter in Acts 4:19, “Am I to obey Emperor Claudius II or God?” How often do we place God’s interest before ours?

9.      COURAGE AND BOLDNESS: “... the righteous are as bold as lion” (Proverbs 28:1). It takes a great deal of courage and boldness to stand against a king’s decree. The apostles understood this reality better, hence they prayed for boldness in Acts 4:29. It also does not come from hallucinogens, only the Holy Spirit can make us proclaim the gospel in boldness (Acts 4:31). Invariably, St. Valentine was full of the Holy Spirit and was bold in defending his faith. How courageous and bold can you be in upholding the Christian Faith when those who are of contrary opinions are highly placed over you?

10.  GOOD WILL & SERVICE: Not withstanding his imprisonment, St. Valentine was willing to teach, educate, impact and share his wealth of knowledge and experiences with little blind Julia. How willing are we to share our knowledge and revelations of the gospel with others who may be with or with it?

11.  SOUL WINNING: St. Stephen was martyred and thereafter Saul was converted. Jesus was crucified and billions of people have been converted thereafter. St. Valentine was executed and Julia, as well as her household became converted to Christianity thereafter. He was a soul winner even in the prison and most possibly, without a bible. How many souls have you brought to Christ? What efforts are you making to win souls for Jesus?

Friend, these are few lessons among others to learn and ponder on when we mark St. Valentine’s Day (February 14^th) yearly. Even if couples and families are coming together in the name of St. Valentine, these virtues should form the fulcrum of the celebration. St. Valentine was not fighting for sex or love but in love, was fighting for what a family stands for, from God’s own perspective.

The best way to celebrate Valentine’s Day is not to have sex, it is not to sing “I love you” to everyone who cares, it does not also end at giving gifts to people as dictated by our varying abilities, but going all the way to putting smiles on people’s faces, according justice its rightful place, facilitating liberty to all those who are unjustly detained in our prisons, releasing forgiveness to all our offenders, giving hope to the hopeless, ultimately making effort to inculcate values and virtues that will help bring people to God, build a lovely formidable family and a stable society of law abiding people who are enjoying their rights to the fullest. That is the true spirit of Valentine. May we become Valentines in our various capacities, everywhere we find ourselves. SHALOM!

© GODDAY O. AGHEDO, 2017

(Author: Securing Open Heavens)