Do you know where Valentine’s Day comes from?
A pagan, Roman festival in the 2nd century AD, called Lupercalia, honored Faunus (the god of fertility). The festival involved rituals, including matchmaking where men and women were paired together for courtship.
In the late 5th century, Pope Gelasius I banned Lupercalia, possibly replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day on February 14 by linking it to at least two Christian martyrs named Valentine. Both had been executed by the Roman Empire in the 3rd century.
St. Valentine of Rome was a priest who defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on young soldiers marrying, performing secret weddings. He was executed on February 14, around 269 AD. Another martyred for his faith was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop who also performed marriages. Legend says that St. Valentine sent a love letter to his jailer’s daughter before his execution, signing it “From your Valentine.”
In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem connecting Valentine’s Day to romantic love.
During the 15th–17th centuries, exchanging love letters and poems became common among European nobility.
In the 19th century, mass-produced Valentine’s Day cards became popular, especially in England and America.
The 20th century saw the introduction of chocolates, flowers, and jewelry as gifts.
So we have a pope, a saint and a poet, as well as widespread cultural developments that have made Valentine’s Day what it is today. But that’s only 3 people, aren’t there 5?
Yes, the final 2 are you and Jesus. You can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day as someone else, so you matter. And more than anything, the only real, genuine, lasting, eternal, forgiving love you will find is the love of Jesus.
Celebrate that on Valentine’s Day and every day. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16).
PRAYER: I love you, Jesus. Your faithful and forgiving love has drawn me to trust in you above all other loves. I pray that your love in my life makes me better at loving others. Amen.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP: Memorize and use that Bible verse today, 1 John 3:16.
