Celebrate God’s Love St. Valentine,s Day

SAINT(S) OF THE DAY: SAINT VALENTINE’S DAY Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Valentine, Priest and Martyr (Patron Saint of Love, Young People, Happy Marriages, Greetings, Affianced couples, against fainting, beekeepers, happy marriages, love, plague, epilepsy, Lesvos). Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14th. The Feast day of Saint Valentine is the celebration of love and affection. Before the 14th century, St. Valentine’s Day was primarily about honoring a Christian martyr. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.

Over the centuries, Valentine’s Day has been a religious feast day and a secular day of romance. In its earliest incarnation, it was even a ritual celebrating fertility and springtime. There are various legends about this Christian figure named Valentine or Valentinus, who was martyred on February 14 in the 3rd century AD. Due to complicated and unclear facts, the Catholic Church removed the Feast of St. Valentine from the General Liturgical Calendar in 1969, though it still recognizes him as a Saint. The feast day in his name replaced the pagan Roman festival of Lupercalia. Valentine’s Day always falls on February 14, but the day of the week varies by year. In 2025, Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday for the first time since 2020.

SAINT VALENTINE, PRIEST, AND MARTYR: St. Valentine was a Roman priest, born in c. 226 Terni, Italia, Roman Empire and lived in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. The feast of St. Valentine of February 14 was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among all those “… whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God.” St. Valentine, together with St. Marius and his family assisted the martyrs who suffered during the reign of Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd century. According to legend, he ministered to Christians who were persecuted and imprisoned for their faith and died a martyr. In addition to his other edicts against helping Christians, one account has it that Emperor Claudius II banned all marriages and engagements in Rome, he issued a decree forbidding marriage, believing this was the reason Roman men were unwilling to serve in the army. In order to increase troops for his army, he forbade young men to marry, believing that single men made better soldiers than married men. St. Valentine defied this decree and urged young lovers to come to him in secret so that he could join them in the sacrament of matrimony. Eventually, he was discovered by the Emperor, who promptly had St. Valentine arrested and brought before him. Because he was so impressed with the young priest, Emperor Claudius attempted to convert St. Valentine to Roman paganism rather than execute him. However, St. Valentine held steadfast and, in turn, attempted to convert Emperor Claudius to Christianity, at which point the Emperor condemned him to death. While in prison, Valentine was tended by the jailer, Asterius, and his blind daughter. St. Valentine miraculously restored sight to his jailer’s blind daughter, causing the jailer and his entire extended household, forty-six people in total, to immediately convert to Christianity. Upon hearing this, Emperor Claudius ordered St. Valentine’s execution. Asterius’ daughter was very kind to Valentine and brought him food and messages. They developed a friendship. 

The night before his execution, St. Valentine wrote a farewell message to the jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and signed it affectionately “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that lives on even today. He was executed on February 14th,  269 AD (aged 42–43) in Rome, Roman Empire. The Martyrology says, “At Rome, on the Flaminian Way, the heavenly birthday of the blessed martyr Valentine, a priest. After performing many miraculous cures and giving much wise counsel, he was beaten and beheaded under Claudius Caesar.” The church in which he is buried existed already in the fourth century and was the first sanctuary Roman pilgrims visited upon entering the Eternal City. Valentine has become the universal symbol of friendship and affection shared each anniversary of the priest’s execution — St. Valentine’s Day. Valentine has also become the patron of engaged couples. The custom of sending valentines on this day is the revival of an ancient pagan practice, which consisted of boys drawing the names of girls in honor of their goodness, Februata Juno, on February 15. To abolish this practice, names of Saints were substituted on billets drawn upon this day. He’s pictured with birds because birds start pairing in February around his feast day. He’s the Patron Saint of: Affianced couples; betrothed couples; engaged couples; happy marriages; love; lovers; youths; epilepsy; greeting card manufacturers; greetings; plague; travelers; young people; against fainting; bee keepers.

“Three things will last forever: Faith, Hope, and Love. But the greatest of these is Love.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13

PRAYER: “O St. Valentine, lover of Christ and of the Church, we ask your intercession that we may learn how to love God above all things and to selflessly love one another. O glorious St. Valentine, pray for us that we too may have the steadfast faith of the martyrs.”

“God of power and mercy, through Your help St. Valentine has overcome the tortures of his passion. Help us who celebrate his triumph to remain victorious over the wiles of our enemies.” … Amen🙏

Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Valentine and all Saints, we humbly pray for marriages, loved ones, for those seeking for life partners, young people and for those who are sick, particularly those who are sick with Epileptic disorders and mental illnesses. We pray for the sick and dying, particularly pray for those who are suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God grant them His divine healing and intervention. Amen 🙏🏽

Saint Valentine, Priest and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏🏽

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

Saint (s) of the Day | February 14th | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/