Dear Friends,
My students in the lower grades at All Saints reminded me that Valentine’s Day was coming up this
week and invited me to come to their parties. I warned them that I probably would not have a Valentine card or
candy for each of them. They would just have to accept my verbal greeting. I am sure they will let me know
that I am not following the custom.
There are a number of legends surrounding the origin of this day. Some of the older parishioners may
remember that the Church once had a feast of St. Valentine but it was dropped in 1969. The church was
updating the liturgical calendar and removed the saints that did not have good historical validation. There are too
many courageous and holy saints to honor throughout the year, so some of those saints with little historical proof
were dropped – this is what happened to St. Philomena, St. Valentine, St. Christopher and 90 other saints. They
remained saints, but no longer had a special day in their honor.
The story said Valentine was a priest living in Rome about 250 AD. Rome was ruled by Emperor
Claudius. Claudius wanted a large army. He thought men should volunteer to join. Many men just did not want
to be in the army and fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives or their girlfriends and their families.
Since not many men signed up to be in the army, Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages.
After Emperor Claudius passed this law, Fr. Valentine secretly performed marriage ceremonies. He
would whisper the words of the ceremony with the couple while hiding it from the police. He was caught one
evening performing a wedding ceremony and was thrown in jail and told that his punishment was death.
Valentine tried to stay cheerful. Many young people came to the jail to visit him. They threw flowers and notes
up to his window. They wanted him to know that they, too, believed in love. One of these young people was the
daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit him in his cell. They often sat and talked for hours.
She believed he did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and performing marriage ceremonies. On the day he
was to die, he left her a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, “Love from your
Valentine.” That note started the custom of exchanging love notes on Valentine’s Day. It was written on the day
he died, February 14, 269 A.D.
Another of the origins for Valentine’s Day comes from the belief in Europe during the Middle Ages that
birds chose their partners in the middle of February. Thus, this day in the middle of February was dedicated to
love, and people observed it by writing love letters and sending small gifts to their beloved. Legend has it that
Charles, duke of Orleans, sent the first real Valentine card to his wife in 1415, when he was imprisoned in the
Tower of London.
No matter the origin, as the children in the school recognized, it is good to celebrate love and to let those
we love know that we love them. Our loving relationships profoundly impact our lives. As the Trappist monk,
Thomas Merton asserted, “Love affects more than our thinking and our behavior toward those we love. It
transforms our entire life. Genuine love is a personal revolution. Love takes your ideas, your desires, and your
actions and welds them together in one experience and one living reality which is a new you.” Take a bit of time
this week and let your loved ones and your friends know that they are loved. That they have changed you.
Peace,
Fr. Damian