Tomorrow is Valentines day. Named after three Saints named Valentine.
St. Valentine of Rome: was a priest in Rome who was martyred about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The flower crowned skull of St Valentine is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Other relics are found in the Basilica of Santa Prassede, also in Rome, as well as at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland.
Valentine of Terni became bishop of Interamna (modern Terni) about AD 197 and is said to have been martyred during the persecution under Emperor Aurelian. He is also buried on the Via Flaminia, but in a different location than Valentine of Rome. His relics are at the Basilica of Saint Valentine in Terni (Basilica di San Valentino).
The Catholic Encyclopedia also speaks of a third saint named Valentine who was mentioned in early martyrologies under date of February 14. He was martyred in Africa with a number of companions, but nothing more is known about him. Saint Valentine's head was preserved in the abbey of New Minster, Winchester and venerated
So three very important people in history. All gave their lives for Christ. What do we do to show respect for these three martyrs? Well, we give each other chocolates and lingerie. We have turned Feast day of Saint Valentine; the celebration of Love and Affection into something in a lot of cases depraved and sinful.
You must understand that I do like Valentine's Day. I like to shower my wife with gifts and presents that I think she will truly enjoy. I think Valentine's Day can be a sacred thing between two people in love. I think that our primal urges also make it something of a depraved celebration of lust and self fulfillment.
I don't often talk about religion and I didn't want this to come off as preachy as it did, but, as I said early on in this blog I am giving you a look at what's in my mind. So take it for what it is worth. The ramblings of a fat man, a thought provoking warning about human nature, a kick in the face of a highly commercialized holiday or just a man writing down what he is thinking and feeling today.
I have a great set of presents lined up for Valentine's Day (I'll not list them here since my wife reads this, even though she may have stopped reading by now). We are actually going to celebrate on Friday this year since we both have things to do tomorrow night and we want to have time to spend with each other and do it right.
Until Next Time...
Jaxion
I'm not the tiniest bit religious, but I can understand the sentiment. This is what happens when a cultural and/or religious holiday is seized upon by businessmen, marketers and corporations as a way to make a buck. It's not just secularized, it's monetized. Personally, I think that is more disgusting--but, as stated, not religious.
ReplyDeleteCourse, the opposite is having so much cultural/religious reverence that if someone not of your beliefs even depicts one of your holy men you threaten to kill them...
so while Christ's birth, the feast of Saint Valentine Day, All Hallow's Eve and such have been co-opted by immoral jerks looking to make a cheap buck, I'm glad that Catholics, Protestants and the like are NOT calling for Crusades on Wall Street.
Eh, mostly.
Okay, if they could keep the slaughter just to Wall Street executives...
I digress.
(Course, the cults of Mithras, Attis and any other deity before the rise of Christianity that used Saturnalia as the "birth" of their god might argue about co-opting. Or any who worshipped Eostre, Ostara, Cybelle and any others associated with the Spring Equinox.)
Sorry, my History Major (with emphasis on world religions) is peeking through.
Long winded reply short, yeah, it kinda stinks the commercialization of days that hold special meaning to the sacred beliefs of people.