Patron saint of chocolate, red roses, or love?

February 14th is one of those days people either embrace or actively dislike. Personally, I land firmly on the side of any holiday that revolves around chocolate, regardless of my amorous situation. Before Cupid showed up naked with a bow and questionable aim, there was a real human behind the name.  

According to some accounts, Saint Valentine lived in third-century Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II, who believed that unmarried soldiers with no emotional attachments made better fighters and therefore banned marriage for young men. Valentine, a Christian priest, quietly defied this decree by performing secret marriages, uniting couples who valued love and commitment over compulsory military service, an act Rome considered dangerously subversive. Eventually, Valentine was arrested.  

He attempted to convince the emperor that Jesus was the true Son of God, the Messiah. Claudius grew tired of the conversation and gave Valentine an ultimatum: renounce your faith or die.

Valentine was imprisoned in the home of a judge named Asterius. When Valentine prayed over the judge’s blind daughter, her sight was restored. The entire household promptly converted to Christianity, which—while spiritually successful—did not extend Valentine’s life expectancy.

Valentine wrote letters from prison to friends and fellow believers, signing them, “Remember your Valentine.” One final note, allegedly written to the jailer’s daughter on the day of his execution, was signed “Your Valentine.”  Saint Valentine was executed on February 14, around the year 269 AD. The church would not officially canonize him for another 200-plus years. 

February 14th is the feast day of Saint Valentine, and over the centuries, the date slowly drifted from martyrdom to romance.

In the end, who was Saint Valentine? A rebel priest who believed faith mattered more than power, and love mattered more than empire. Someone willing to die for what he believed was true.

Each of us has a valentine and his name is God. God loves us, all year round, not just on February 14th.