The Roman Empire was engaged in an attempt to retain military forces in the year 270. Churches were springing up everywhere. The empire was not friendly to Christianity. Claudius, the reigning emperor of the time, was intent upon preserving his empire and routing his enemies.
It was Claudius’ maniac grip on the military that led him to install a very foolish policy. Claudius had a problem on his hands when it came to the army. Believe it or not, soldiers would actually prefer to get married and stay home with their families rather than risk their lives and sacrifice for their country. Military recruiting was suffering because of strong, committed affections. Love was getting in the way of patriotism. Claudius would have none of it. He passed a law forbidding anyone to get married.
Living in this anti-Christian and anti-marriage climate, was Valentine. Valentine was a Christian priest in Rome. He knew that marriage was good and honored by God. He took it upon himself to perform Christian marriages. As a priest, he performed secret marriages bravely defying the anti-marriage laws. It wasn’t just marriages that Valentine was working on. He was also trying to protect persecuted Christians who were being chased down and haunted by the aggressive Roman leaders. Christians knew that they could flee to Valentine for protection.
Valentine was taking a huge risk. Not only was it absolutely forbidden to marry or to perform marriages, but it was also a criminal offense to aid or abet Christians.
Valentine was caught in a tangled web in what the Roman Empire considered high treason and traitorous activity. The Roman government hunted him down and locked him up in prison. Valentine, the protector of Christians and performer of marriages, was suffering for his love and devotion to God.
Claudius demanded that Valentine recant his faith and submit to the cruel and godless tyranny of Rome. Valentine stood firm and steadfast to his beliefs. The Roman Prefect condemned him to torture and death.
According to legend, Valentine fell in love during his time of imprisonment. Valentine fell head over heels in love with the daughter of the prison guard. As the story goes, their romance was one of the first sagas of steadfast love, broken only by the tragic death of Valentine. He wrote a note to her, allegedly penned on Feb. 14, the day before he was beheaded. He signed the note, “Love from your Valentine.” Henceforth, was the first Valentine’s Day card.
Donna Avera is the founder of “KneeMail, sharing God’s love stories through print.” She is a Rincon resident and Director of Children & Youth at Goshen UMC. Her email address is kneemail@windstream.net.