St Valentine's Day

[faffy]

Can someone shed me more light on the origins and significance of St. Valentine’s day.I came across an article that says that it is an evil day which has satanic origins.
I’ve never really observed the day myself but when a friend of mine said you catholics are the ones who started this evil thing i just thought i would share it with you guys before I answer her.

In Christ

Faffy

 

[FenianMan]

faffy:

Can someone shed me more light on the origins and significance of St. Valentine’s day.I came across an article that says that it is an evil day which has satanic origins.
I’ve never really observed the day myself but when a friend of mine said you catholics are the ones who started this evil thing i just thought i would share it with you guys before I answer her.

In Christ

Faffy

There were at least two, probably three early martyrs known as Valentine. At least one was a bishop, the other two certainly priests, who were all supposedly martyred in or around 280 A.D. Early medieval hagiography recounts that during the reign of Claudius II the number of incoming recruits to the Roman army was on the wane. Believing that marriage and family ties were the cause of the decline the emperor temporarily outlawed marriage. Valentine, believing such and action to be unconscienable, kept performing marriages. The emperor was furious and had Valentine arrested, but the (elderly bishop/young priest) was so charming that the emperor started to lean towards conversion. The imperial council, furious and afraid at the emperor’s change of heart, had Valentine imprisoned. While in the prison the saint called Christ the “true light of the world.” The jailer, one of the council, told Valentine that if Christ was the light he should restore to sight his daughter who was blind. Valentine sent a note home with the jailer telling him to touch it to her eyes. Having signed it, “Your Valentine,” this became the very first Valentine. Needless to say, the girls sight was restored. (Other versions of the story simply have Valentine healing the girl, but the Valentines coming from the couples that Valentine had married previously sneaking notes in through the window-grate). In any case, the council convinced the emperor that Valentine was trying to take over the empire and so he was beheaded on February 14, the Roman feast of Lupercalia, when the ancient Roman boys would win girls by lottery to keep for the next year. The saints remains are housed both in Dublin and Rome.