The Legend of St. Valentine

Christin Ditchfield

Hearts and flowers… cards and candy… friendship, love, & romance.

For hundreds of years, people all over the world have celebrated St. Valentine's Day. But very little is known about the man whose life the holiday honors. Much of St. Valentine's story is a mystery, clouded by centuries of myth and legend.

According to one account, Valentine was a young priest who lived in third-century Rome. Constantly at war, Emperor Claudius II recognized that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families-so he forbade young people to marry. Out of compassion for couples in love, Valentine defied the Emperor and continued to perform wedding ceremonies in secret.

Some say Valentine further antagonized the Emperor by continuing to preach the gospel. He comforted, encouraged, and even rescued victims of religious persecution. Eventually Valentine was arrested and thrown into prison, where-according to another story-he himself fell in love with his jailor's daughter, Julia. Valentine poured out his heart on paper, writing the most beautiful love letters to her. When the date was set for his execution, he penned one last epistle to his sweetheart, which he signed: "From Your Valentine."

Ever since, people everywhere have been moved by the kindness, the compassion, the devoted love of this heroic young man. His example has inspired us to express our feelings for our loved ones, just as he did, by putting them in writing-in our very own "valentines." Of course the most significant expression of Valentine's love was the action he took-the self-sacrifice that led to his imprisonment and ultimately cost him his life.

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

Valentine was motivated by something far more powerful than human love and affection-his desire to help others was driven by the love of God Himself. The love of God for humanity-for you and me. As Valentine demonstrated, it is a love that overcomes insurmountable obstacles and requires ultimate sacrifice.

The Bible tells us God loves us so much. He created every one of us to enjoy an intimate and personal relationship with Him. We did nothing to deserve His love for us. We could not possibly earn it. And sadly, we are not worthy of it.

All too often we have ignored God, rejected Him, rebelled against Him. We've chosen to live life on our own terms, in our own way. As a result, our lives are filled with mistakes and failures. The Bible calls this "sin." Nothing sinful or imperfect can ever enter the holy presence of God. Sin leads to death and hell-eternal separation from Him.

Yet in His infinite mercy, God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him. The Bible explains, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for us. Jesus took the punishment in our place. Because of what Jesus suffered, because of His death on the cross, because of His resurrection, the power of sin has been broken. We can be forgiven and restored to a right relationship with God.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Those who believe in Him have the hope of heaven, the gift of eternal life. The Scriptures exclaim, "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1), and, "God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:16).

To experience the amazing, unfailing, eternal love of God, you might pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, thank You for making the ultimate sacrifice-dying on the cross for my sins-laying down Your life for me. Please live in me and help me to live in You. Every day, may my life be a reflection of Your amazing love. Amen.

© 2002-2005 Good News Publishers. Used by permission.
Translated by permission of Good News Publishers
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