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How did this holiday of love and romance originate and, more importantly, how did St. Valentine become involved? The answers to those questions are not easy ones. Valentine’s Day is a holiday shrouded in mystery and legend.
Although the mid-February holiday celebrating love and lovers remains wildly popular, the confusion over its origins led the Catholic Church, in 1969, to drop Saint Valentine’s Day from the Roman calendar of official, worldwide Catholic feasts.
Christopher Heffron looks at two podcasts that take wildly different approaches to love.
An eloquent preacher during his life, St. Anthony has become one of the Church’s most popular saints.
This year, World Marriage Day, observed annually on the second Sunday of February, will be celebrated Feb. 14, which also is the feast of St. Valentine and which since the eighth century has been a celebration of love and affection.
Last February, I realized that our parish did not celebrate the feast of St. Valentine. Does this mean that he may have been a true saint but, due to poor record-keeping, has been forgotten? Was he ever officially recognized as a saint?
Though known for establishing the Jesuits, St. Ignatius of Loyola initially found inspiration for conversion in the life of St. Francis of Assisi while recovering from a debilitating leg injury.
Reflect Valentine’s Day isn’t just for the romantics. And though this holiday has been commercialized repeatedly, the true meaning of this day is more powerful
“I will never take back my love,” is a message from God in Psalm 89. The words struck me as I was praying the Office of Readings. They are appropriate for Valentine’s Day and for reflection during Lent.
We humans tend to compartmentalize just about every aspect of our lives, from what we do in mundane daily rituals to how we engage with entire holy seasons. There’s comfort in routine, to be certain. The cycle of holidays, holy days, and commemorative months provides us with a kind of rhythm in an often offbeat world. This month, for example, we mark the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday on February 26, we celebrate love in all its forms on Valentine’s Day, and we honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans all month long.
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