† The Legend of Saint Valentine †

virtualitalia.com ^ | 14 February 2007 Anno Domini | Editors

[Kolokotronis]

"May He bless your day for your contribution to this thread."

Why thank-you!

[incredulous joe]

A great Saint. A great day.

A happy and blessed Saint Valentines Day to all

[xzins]

The following is the article from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

St. Valentine

Catholic Encyclopedia At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under date of 14 February. One is described as a priest at Rome, another as bishop of Interamna (modern Terni), and these two seem both to have suffered in the second half of the third century and to have been buried on the Flaminian Way, but at different distances from the city. In William of Malmesbury's time what was known to the ancients as the Flaminian Gate of Rome and is now the Porta del Popolo, was called the Gate of St. Valentine. The name seems to have been taken from a small church dedicated to the saint which was in the immediate neighborhood. Of both these St. Valentines some sort of Acta are preserved but they are of relatively late date and of no historical value. Of the third Saint Valentine, who suffered in Africa with a number of companions, nothing further is known.

Saint Valentine's Day

The popular customs associated with Saint Valentine's Day undoubtedly had their origin in a conventional belief generally received in England and France during the Middle Ages, that on 14 February, i.e. half way through the second month of the year, the birds began to pair. Thus in Chaucer's Parliament of Foules we read:

For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day
Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.

For this reason the day was looked upon as specially consecrated to lovers and as a proper occasion for writing love letters and sending lovers' tokens. Both the French and English literatures of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries contain allusions to the practice. Perhaps the earliest to be found is in the 34th and 35th Ballades of the bilingual poet, John Gower, written in French; but Lydgate and Clauvowe supply other examples. Those who chose each other under these circumstances seem to have been called by each other their Valentines. In the Paston Letters, Dame Elizabeth Brews writes thus about a match she hopes to make for her daughter (we modernize the spelling), addressing the favoured suitor:


And, cousin mine, upon Monday is Saint Valentine's Day and every bird chooses himself a mate, and if it like you to come on Thursday night, and make provision that you may abide till then, I trust to God that ye shall speak to my husband and I shall pray that we may bring the matter to a conclusion.

Shortly after the young lady herself wrote a letter to the same man addressing it

"Unto my rightwell beloved Valentine, John Paston Esquire".

The custom of choosing and sending valentines has of late years fallen into comparative desuetude.

[murphE]

When so many in our society think only of chocolates and flowers on "Valentine's Day" we should remember St. Valentine, Roman priest, and martyr, and his unbounded love for Our Saviour. He suffered during the reign of Emperor Caudius II in the 3rd century and was beaten with clubs then beheaded.

Yes, we should. But I still get chocolate, right? ;-)

Thanks for posting this Robert.

[It's me]

In 1835 an Irish Carmelite by the name of John Spratt was visiting Rome. He was well known in Ireland for his skills as a preacher and also for his work among the poor and destitute in Dublin’s Liberties area. He was also responsible for the building of the new church to Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Whitefriar Street. While he was in Rome he was asked to preach at the famous Jesuit Church in the city, the Gesu. Apparently his fame as a preacher had gone before him, no doubt brought by some Jesuits who had been in Dublin. The elite of Rome flocked to hear him and he received many tokens of esteem from the doyens of the Church. One such token came from Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) and were the remains of Saint Valentine.

On November 10, 1836, the Reliquary containing the remains arrived in Dublin and were brought in solemn procession to Whitefriar Street Church where they were received by Archbishop Murray of Dublin. With the death of Fr Spratt interest in the relics died away and they went into storage. During a major renovation in the church in the 1950s/60s they were returned to prominence with an altar and shrine being constructed to house them and enable them to be venerated. The statue was carved by Irene Broe and depicts the saint in the red vestments of a martyr and holding a crocus in his hand.

Today, the Shrine is visited throughout the year by couples who come to pray to Valentine and to ask him to watch over them in their lives together. The feastday of the saint on February 14 is a very popular one and many couples come to the Eucharistic celebrations that day which also includes a Blessing of Rings for those about to be married. On the feastday, the Reliquary is removed from beneath the side-altar and is placed before the high altar in the church and there venerated at the Masses. At the 11.00am and 3.15pm Masses there are special sermons and also a short ceremony for the Blessing of Rings for those about to be married.

Check herre formore info about St. Valentine.

[Salvation]

† The Legend of Saint Valentine †

Lovers' holiday originates from wise, caring Italian bishop

The Life of St. Valentine, [The Golden Legend]

SAINT VALENTINE Priest and Martyr

St. Valentine or St. Anthony of Padua [Read Only]

[trisham]

Thank you for posting this.

[Jeremiah Jr]

Valentines Day, A Gift From G-d

The Hebrew sages say, “All that was, is and will be is in the Torah.”

They are correct. So what about Valentines Day?

To paraphrase ‘Big’ Absolutely!

Cause and Effect

Every week in the synagogue a different section (called Portion) of the Torah and Prophets is read, dependant on the Hebrew (lunar) calendar.

This week is a special Sabbath, Shabbat Shekalim and an extra section of the Torah is read.

Exodus 30: 11-16
11 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 12 “When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. 13 This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The half-shekel shall be an offering to the LORD. 14 Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the LORD. 15 The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves. 16 And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves.”

***

Notice in this section the shekel is linked to the soul and what’s more the numerical equivalent (gematria) of shekel like that of nefesh, soul is 430.

Now if shekel and soul have the same value, why give a ‘half’? wouldn’t you give a whole shekel?

Whether you’ve noticed it or not, you’ve just caught a glimpse into the source code of the soul.

Back to the beginning…

Genesis 1

27 So ELoHIM created Adam in His own image; in the image of ELoHIM created him; male and female He created them.

Souls were created in Genesis 1, the physical form of Adam isn’t until chapter 2.

And the Sefer Zohar (Book of Splendor) goes on at length on the subject of soulmates. Genesis 1:26-27 tells the story. Souls were created as a sphere, and we’re split up when we are born into this world. And that’s the answer to the question ‘Life the universe and everything’, why we are here.

Cause and Effect

This week the story of the ‘half shekel’ and the ‘soul’ will be read in the synagogue and it effects the entire creation, awakening us to seek the one we were separated from.

Speaking of half, Valentines Day is celebrated on the 14th of February and there are 28 days in this month!

Perfect

Absolutely Perfect!

Happy Valentines Day!

[T.L.Sink]

I thought Claudius reigned from 41 to 54 AD and, according to Gibbon and other classical historians, was an enlightened emperor. What Claudius are you referring to?

[vox_freedom]

Yes, we should. But I still get chocolate, right? ;-)

I looked it up, and could find nothing about champagne or chocolate being sinful.
Enjoy!

[vox_freedom]

The Claudius II (second) was the one I referred to. 3rd century.
St. Valentine was martyred in 270.

[the invisib1e hand]

St. Valentine, pray for us.

St. Valentine, pray for us.

[USMMA_83]

Very nice retort. It is appalling.

[USMMA_83]

Very nice retort. It is appalling.

[USMMA_83]

Very nice retort. It is appalling.