No, he wasn’t Cupid, but he was a real person who existed in the days of the emperor Claudius. Claudius was having trouble with his soldiers. They wanted to stay home with their wives and families instead of fighting wars, so Claudius forbade marriages. Valentine, a priest, defied the emperor and performed the ceremonies anyway. For that, Claudius behead him. (See This Day in History)
Remember how excited we’d get as children on Valentine’s Day, counting those cards, reading the verses? What a sweet custom! It seemed to me that my kindergarteners got more excited about Valentine’s Day than about Christmas. They would decorate white paper sacks which I fastened to the chalk tray then they would read their classmates’ names on the sacks and put in the Valentines. What a lot of noise and giggles mixed with punch and cookies!
Love! The strongest emotion on earth, whether it is love of God or spouses or parents or children. Love brings out the best in us, makes mundane things unimportant and focuses on what is good and pure and honest and lasting.
“Though I speak with tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal” I Corinthians 13:1.
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