Here is a Valentine’s Day Card just for you, Charlie Brown. After all the years that you have suffered through the trauma of not receiving even one Valentine from your friends, teachers or relatives, I hope that this little story, written for you, convinces you that you are loved, you are important, and someone values you for who you are. 

The legend of Valentine’s Day is cloaked in mystery and a confusing history, as are many of the early saints’ celebration days. Just like Christmas and Easter, the Roman Catholic Church made changes to the popular pagan Roman festival of Lupercalia. Now, this doesn’t mean that there wasn’t an actual saint, in fact there appear to be multiple saints who performed acts of love and mercy that are honored on this day.  

Three saints with the name of Valentine or the Latin name Valentinus are found as saints in the church. All three men were martyred for defying Roman law. One continued to perform marriage ceremonies for Roman soldiers after marriage was outlawed for serving soldiers.  

One was imprisoned for attempting to free prisoners from the horrible jail that they were held in. Before his execution, it is said that he wrote a letter to a young girl whom he loved. It was sign “From your Valentine.” A phrase that is still in use today. The history of the third Valentine is vague as we are looking at people who lived around 3 B.C with spotty records.   

 So why the month of February? February has long been known as the month of love. This legend may stem from the celebration of Lupercalia, which is a fertility festival celebrated on February 15^th.   Priests of the Luperci met in a cave thought to have sheltered the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, when they were infants and where the she-wolf or lupa raised them. After sacrificing a goat and a dog, the goat’s hide was stripped into strips and soaked in blood. The priests would then walk through the streets, gently tapping the women and sprinkling the fields.  

This was a celebration that was welcomed because it was thought to make women more fertile for the year. Legend has it that later that day, the women put their name in a jar and the men each pulled out one name. The man and woman were paired for the year. These pairings often ended in marriage. 

As you can see, this Roman festival presented many practices that were at odds with the Christian church’s teachings. It was Pope Gelasius, at the end of the 5^th century, who set the date of February 14 to celebrate the death of Valentine. 

On Valentine’s Day we express our love for each other. It may be a sweetheart, or it may be our children or next-door neighbor, or someone who has been mean to us. Yes, everyone is our neighbor.  

The teachings of Christ instruct us to one love another. So why can’t poor old Charlie Brown receive one little Valentine’s Day card from anyone? I think that is a very cruel trick to play on him, although there seem to be many cruel tricks played on that little boy. It is love and kindness that Christ asks us to demonstrate to everyone we meet, regardless of the day. 

Because He loves you and everyone, He has created past, present and future unconditionally. That will never change. Happy Valentine’s Day. I love you! 

Terri