Valentines Day then and now

Valentine’s Day, traditionally called Saint Valentine’s Day, signals that love is in the air. Every February 14th lovers throughout the Western world celebrate the age old feast of love. Many maintain it is a Christian feast day, honoring one or two early saints named Valentinus. It is, in fact, an official feast day in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church. Others say it is a day to celebrate the Lupercalia festival, a fertility rite, in honor of Lupa, the she-wolf who according to legend nursed the infant orphans Romulus and Remus.

The poet Chaucer associated martyrdom and romantic love stories with several Valentine’s, including one imprisoned in Rome for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire according to J.C. Cooper, in his 2013 book, Dictionary of Christianity.

In 313 A.D., Roman Emperor Constantine the Great legalized Christianity and ended Rome’s persecution of Christians. In 380 A.D., Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire. These actions enabled the teachings of Christianity to spread unhindered within the empire.

Later, the Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honor of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269.

In his book Martyrology, basically a compilation of the saints, the Benedictine monk commonly known as the Venerable Bede said, Saint Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was duly impressed by Valentine and attempted to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life, Valentine refused. When Valentine tried to convert Claudius to Christianity, Claudius had him executed.

Just prior to his execution, Valentine was reported to have performed a miracle by healing the blind daughter of his jailer Asterius. The jailer’s daughter Julia, and forty-six members of his household were said to have gained faith in Jesus and were baptized.

Valentine’s Day has come to be a day when couples out of tradition pledge their love to each other. Christian marriage vows usually recite “forsaking all others, and binding their unconditional love to each other”. These are words of love and faith which rightly reflects on the Christian faith and the relationship which we see between Christ and his church and should be between husband and wife as is written in the Book of Ephesians chapter 5, verses 22 and following.

Today, the marriage institution is under attack from every corner by ‘dogs’ and devils who seek to break it up and destroy all that it stands for, and means to future generations. The marriage of a man and woman is the building block of civilization. A man and woman marry and bring forth children, they build homes and institutions around themselves, including proper government with proper law.

The pagans and barbarians of this world discount marriage and promote evolution through a “most fit” philosophy of the biggest and strongest, or sneakiest, trying to get mating rights with whomever they please, disregarding proper conduct, the rule of Law and marriage, Christianity, and God himself. This hearkens back to Eve being deceived and beguiled (seduced) by a two legged serpent called nâchâsh, who whispered sweet nothings into her ear! This also includes kings who assume they have their unmitigated choice of the kingdom women, much like David did in his lust for, and adultery with, Bathsheba, as well as common people today.

There are many forces in America today that seek to tear down all that is right and holy about marriage, by introducing perverted couplings, which are not marriage at all–but rather fornication and adultery. They also seek to bring children into these perversions, and then teaching them through first hand knowledge, through perverted teaching and behavior at government sponsored schools and other places that the perverted behavior is acceptable to ‘intelligent’ people. What a lie.

Let’s not look to our own understanding on this but rather to the guide for all our life. The Bible is God’s great love letter to us explaining how to live our lives and how a marriage should work, thus promoting right behavior and good government.

A proper love in marriage relationship is the long term key to good government in my opinion, if done God’s way. In other words, fix marriages and you most likely will fix the country! Unfortunately, most of what passes for marriage today is not what the Good Book has to say about it.

Why is marriage is the key to good government? It is the basis for stability and prosperity in society. According to the Bible, in marriage there is only one head and leader of the home. Both spouses are agreed that the husband will lead, and children are obliged to obey parents. Underlying these commitments by all is to obey the Almighty in everything. Yet, if one goes astray from obeying the LORD it potentially creates havoc for the entire house, everybody suffers when one disobeys or goes outside the boundaries that God has set up for us. Isn’t that the way our entire society reacts? When one goes outside of God’s requirements for us, all of us suffer?

The man named Achan is a perfect example of this in Joshua chapter 7. He decided to disobey the LORD and do “his own thing”. Unfortunately, that cost him, his family and their community dearly. After many of those in his community died because of his transgression, he and his family paid a severe price for stepping outside the bounds of God’s Word. Read it for yourself, it’s eye opening in revealing that we are our brother’s keeper in more ways than we can imagine.

Another example of the strength of the nation coming from the strength of fidelity in marriage is at Exodus 20:5. The Four Generation Curse found here is based upon marriage, with each generation being composed of married people. A content people who submit to Godly authority are easily governed, while rebellious or embittered people are malcontent and impossible to control.

Good marriages provide order and contentment; whereas, the breakdown of marriage leaves the open wounds of bitterness, resulting in rebellion, poverty, and potentially a rising crime rate. Proper marriage relations will solve many of the ills of our society, certainly the problems in each home, but it all starts with just one man or woman willing to take the risk to be the one who says, ‘let it start with me’, and to do as instructed with God’s authority, “not my will, but thine be done”. It’s hard to argue with no one to argue back.

As complex as this world appears, the answers are simply laid out for us all to see and read. And it can be as in depth as you care to read and study. Try it, you will be pleasantly surprised at how well it fits life, if you’re willing to follow it. Doing marriage and love as God has instructed us is the real love fest! Happy Valentines Day!

Michael Reed is Editor of The Standard.