They killed him on February 14, Valentine’s Day
Did you ever wonder why on this day, February 14, we celebrate love all around the world and call it Valentine’s day?
Do you know who Valentinus was?
Valentine’s Day began in the third century with an oppressive Roman Emperor, Claudius 11 and a humble Christian martyr called Valentinus. Emperor Claudius ordered all Romans to worship 12 Gods only and made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians.
Valentinus was a true believer in Christ and not even the threat of death would keep him from practicing his beliefs. Claudius had him arrested and thrown in jail.
A remarkable thing happened during Valentinus’ imprisonment. His prison guard (corrections officer) realized that Valentinus was a learned man and asked if he would teach his daughter Julia about life. Julia was blind from birth and had a very quick mind. Valentinus welcomed the opportunity to give lessons to Julia. He taught Julia about Roman history and described the world of nature. Valentinus taught her arithmetic (mathematics) and told her about God. Julia soon started seeing the world through Valentinus’ eyes. She found comfort, joy, and peace in his quiet strength and wisdom.
One day, Julia asked, “Does God hear our prayers?” Valentinus replied, “Yes, he hears every one.
Every night and every morning Julia prayed that she might see. “I want to see everything you have taught me,” Julia said. Valentinus replied, “God does what is best for us if we will believe in Him.” Julia cried out, “Oh, I do believe! I do believe!” She knelt down and grasped Valentinus’ hand. Both of them sat quietly holding hands in Valentinus’s cell and prayed. Suddenly a brilliant white light appeared in the prison cell. Julia screamed at the top of her voice “Valentinus; it’s a miracle, I can see! I can see! I can see.”
“Praise be to God!” Valentinus remarked as he knelt in prayer.
Valentinus wrote his last note to Julia on February 13, urging her to stay close to God for the rest of her life. He signed it,
“From your Valentine.”
Valentinus’ execution was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 A.D. close to a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory. Valentinus was buried at what is now known as the Church of Praxedes in Rome.
Julia planted a pink-blossomed almond tree close to Valentinus’ grave. Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship.
Note:There is some confusion about the true facts of the exact origin and identity of St. Valentine. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of 14 February.” One was a priest in Rome, the second one was a bishop of Interamna (now Terni, Italy) and the third St. Valentine was a martyr in the Roman province of Africa.
We celebrate all three Saint Valentines today because we believe in love.
Happy thoughts of love coming your way today.
Happy Valentine’s Day
I’ve questioned authority my whole life.
When I was young, my mother called me a “problem child” because I always wanted to know why we did what we did. If it didn’t make sense to me, I wanted to know why. I must have driven her crazy!!
My “problem child” personality paid off 30 years ago when I questioned my oncologist about chemotherapy as a viable option for malignant melanoma. Poisoning my body with chemo drugs didn’t make sense to me when my immune system was already compromised. Chemo still doesn’t work for melanoma today. I said no to chemo and chose a path that made common sense.
I believed in me. I believed in a higher power – I believed in God.
There was a knowing deep within me that my choice of healing was going to be the right choice for me. Always, listen to your inner wisdom – it knows you well. 🙂
Our biggest life challenge is to learn how to love ourselves and believe without a shadow of doubt in our ability to heal our lives no matter what.
Believe in YOU – Believe in a higher power – Believe in YOUR God.
When you truly love yourself your life will be a gift to the world just like Julia.
With love today and always,
Prue.
Psst. Sadly, most of us have never been taught how to love ourselves and put ourselves first without feeling guilty. I learned the hard way, and I don’t want you to go through the horrendous life challenges I went through. Start learning right now how to love yourself and heal your life with Prue’s “Save Your Life” System.
Psst again! Treat yourself to a small piece of dark chocolate 80+ today – loaded with polyphenols! Yummy.
