At some point in your life, when taking an internet tour, you must have come across the name of Saint Valentine, albeit indirectly.
Did you know that the importance of this saint is such that his name is used as a nickname on commemorative dates in the United States and even in other North American or European countries?
So it is! “Valentine's Day”, here referred to as Valentine's Day, is a reference to this saint so popularly known as a vivacious symbol of resistance, resilience and belief in the existence of love as a very important element in our lives.
More than a mere martyr in time, Saint Valentine made his ideals transpose any chronological line, transforming his legacy into something grandiose until the present day. How about knowing the story of this saint now and knowing why he is a message to those who still believe in love? Follow up!
The Story of Saint Valentine
Valentim was a Roman priest who belonged, historically, to the time of Claudius II, (the latter received the epithet of “Claudius the Cruel”), emperor who managed to “invigorate” his reign for a mere 2 years (268-270).
Owner of an impeccable military career, Cláudio valued the well-being of his army's might and tried, at all costs, to build it up as a true insurmountable force.
A maximum example of this desire of Claudius II was, without a shadow of a doubt, his unfriendly and friendly links in relation to marriages and conjugal relations legally instituted by the Catholic Church.
The emperor, believing in the idea that he would make the army stronger, decided purely and simply to ban marriages, betting that, if alone and without spouses, the boys and men of the Empire would tend to enter the armed forces in an almost coercive way.
That's when Valentine starts to act. Even though most of the priests were complacent with this resolution of Claudio (the Cruel), Father Valentim was not silent and preferred to continue marrying the inhabitants of the Empire.
His attitude, while commendable, cost him his freedom and even his own life. Before he died and during the process of his arrest and detention, Valentim received numerous letters and flowers from those who associated him with the role of “sender of love” and also with the role of non-subservient to Cláudio II.
It was even in prison that the priest met one of the jailers' daughters, to whom he expressed his love and passion vividly. The girl was blind and, by a miracle, it is believed that she restored her sight and that Valentine was responsible for this grandiose act.
The priest even wrote a love letter, addressing it to the girl. The Valentine's signature on this letter (referred to as “from your Valentine”) became extremely well-known and is, nowadays, still widely used as an expression in countries that celebrate “Valentine's Day”.
The richness of their love and the marital ties between Valentine and the prison girl did not last due to the priest's death, which occurred on February 14, 270, by decapitation, ordered by Claudius II.
Now you can see that it is not by chance or arbitrary that “Valentine's Day” takes place precisely on the 14th of February. The date is very well remembered in the United Kingdom and the United States, for example, and although it is not legally celebrated by the Catholic Church, it is very popular.
The story of Saint Valentine tells us: believe in love
In recent decades, we can observe that our relationship with love, affection and close feelings has become much less solid and weaker or malleable.
We try to look for drivers to blame for this rise of indifference towards love, such as social networks (which often provide shallow and distant relationships), but the great reality is that we live in a period where love disillusionment is huge and this is the fact by itself.
We can establish a link between our times and Saint Valentine. It is true that the historical context is different, but Saint Valentine also lived in a time where love was treated with indifference, censorship and renegade.
In fact, it can be said that Saint Valentine is a banner for those who believe in love. Your strength and your conviction in that feeling can inspire even the souls most touched by the coldness of indifference.
You don't have to be a martyr and die of love, but like Saint Valentine, you have to believe that love isn't dead, and that although it seems fleeting and fugitive at times, it's in your life, mine and ours. . To love is to resist.
The first step to recognize that to love is to resist, is to understand that love is not only in the great endeavors of life, but it is also in the small things that can become great!
Look at Saint Valentine: it was in a small gesture of resistance to the prevailing laws of his time that he not only saw love as alive and essential, but transformed a small opposition into something gigantic. No wonder his name and his ideas survive to this day in history.
Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the great banner and the great mission of Saint Valentine's life was love. He was not permissive with Claudius II's abusive laws, but rather remained opposed to them, portraying himself as a counterpart who believed more in love than in war and coldness.
Perhaps the great problem of modernity is the hope of being loved and venerated without first taking a side in the construction of this very complex feeling. It seems naive to blame inaction, but put yourself in Saint Valentine's shoes:
Saint Valentine was not loved beforehand. He needed to love so that he could lay the foundations, in his life, for this feeling so rich that it blossomed only subsequently. He believed that it was possible to have love as a standard of life, but he didn't think he would get it right away.
Why can't you also make love the banner of your life; your flag? To those who wait, it is possible to say: give love and soon you will be loved. Love is a feeling generated by action and reciprocity.
The reciprocal was true for Saint Valentine, who from loving and building love bonds so much, was soon loved and greatly recognized. It is not a precise formula, but a guideline that can serve love well: love and be loved! Remember Saint Valentine and be inspired by his figure!
You may also like
- Check out some ideas for a special Valentine's Day!
- Delve even deeper into the history of Saint Valentine
- 30 important things for relationships to work
Saint Valentine's Prayer to conquer a love
Start spreading love wherever you go with this Saint Valentine's prayer. It's powerful and effective, but that's not why you should be inactive. Remember: to love is to act. To be loved, you have to love. Believe in love.
“Saint Valentine, patron of love, cast your kind eyes on me. Prevent curses and emotional inheritance from my ancestors and mistakes I have made in the past from disturbing my affective life. I want to be happy and make people happy. Help me get in tune with my soulmate so that we can enjoy love, blessed by divine providence. I ask for your powerful intercession, with God and Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen".
