I'm Afraid People Miss the Real Meaning of Valentine's Day
I'm aware Valentine's Day is a controversial issue especially due to February 14 is associated with the feast of lust. However, Reformation Day hits on the same day as Halloween does, right? Right now, I think some fundamentalists have gone too far without knowing what Valentine's Day is and who the Christian martyr Valentine was.
The history is somewhat murky as to how Valentine’s Day has come to be what we now know and celebrate. Saint Valentine served in third-century Rome. Emperor Claudius decided that single men made better soldiers. Therefore, Claudius banned soldiers from being married. One version of the story is that Valentine continued to perform the weddings of young soldiers who were in love, and Claudius had Valentine imprisoned. While imprisoned, Valentine reportedly fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. Valentine sent her a card and signed it, "Love, your Valentine." Another version is that Valentine defied Claudius by helping Christians escape the torture of the Romans.
Just thinking about it. Valentine was simply a Christian martyr who opposed the Roman emperor Claudius. There was also the feast called Lupercalia which is a feast of lasciviousness. The story of Valentine is not much of a romantic story. If you think about it - Valentine was fighting for real love. It's the love that you can see in 1 Corinthians 13. His defiance of Cladius' unjust rule had him eventually executed and martyred. So celebrating Valentine's Day (though his real date of death is probably unknown) is more of commemorating a martyr's death than a day of romantic love. Also, if Valentine did fall in love with the jailer's daughter - it's a story of true love and not telling singles to rush and find your "valentine".
I'm afraid too many people today are celebrating Lupercalia instead of Valentine's Day. Every February 14 becomes a day to celebrate lasciviousness. While I have nothing going against on a romantic date on Valentine's Day but shouldn't every day be special for real romantic love? Unfortunately, we've got people hiring harlots as dates which should reflect more on Lupercalia than the nobility of the Christian saint. If that's the case then they might as well say "Happy Lupercalia" instead of "Happy Valentine's" because their actions wouldn't please the dear saint would he be alive today in this world.
Want real love? Read 1 Corinthians 13 where it's somewhat a definition of love. If you love someone - you seek after that person's welfare. The description of love shows you what love is and what love isn't. Valentine's Day should be a day to commemorate all kinds of Christian love - not worldly love. Sadly, more people today are celebrating Lupercalia while thinking they're celebrating Valentine's Day.