This Holy Roman Catholic Day

For thirty-two years MBH and I have shared Valentine's Day with hugs, cards, and literal candy kisses. This February 14th I awoke in the predawn hours to sign my Valentine card which gave me time to net search the origins of the name "Valentine."

I discovered the video below sharing the earliest archeological recording of that name. A catacomb in Italy bears the name of not one, but two namesakes. The Catholic Church itself sainted three men by that trisyllabic moniker of love.

Could the original St. Valentine be the martyr who secretly married young men whom Emperor Claudius II demanded they remain single to be his effective warrior-soldiers?

Could St. Valentine have been the Schindler of his era, rescuing Jesus believers from imperial Roman gulags?

Or could Valentine be the Roman-imprisoned man in love with his jailor’s daughter? Legend whispers that just before his execution he wrote her a letter signed, “From your Valentine.”

Courageous sacrifice, rescues, a proclamation of love in the face of death—can we learn from these efforts what love should inspire. And dare I say each reminds us of Who alone is Incarnational Love. Here is the Valentine sentiment for the ages:

This is love: not that we loved God,

but that he loved us and sent his Son

as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Dear friends, since God so loved us,

we also ought to love one another.

–John of Patmos 1 John 4:10-11

Happy Valentine's Day!