Trisha Cummings <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> The Good Saint Valentine
> A Brief History of Valentine's Day
> 
> 
> In the city of Rome there once lived an emperor named Claudius.
> He is known in history as Claudius the Cruel.
> 
> Near his palace was a beautiful temple where served the priest
> Valentine. The Romans loved him dearly and assembled into the
> temple to hear his words. Before the fire that always burned on
> the altar they knelt to ask his blessing. Rich and poor, wise
> and ignorant, old and young, noble and common people they all
> flocked to Valentine.
> 
> In the Roman empire wars broke out. Claudius summoned the
> citizens forth to battle and year after year the fighting
> continued. Many of the Romans were unwilling to go. The married
> men did not want to leave their families. The younger men did
> not wish to leave their sweethearts. The emperor was angry when
> soldiers were too few. He ordered that no marriages should be
> celebrated and that all engagements must be broken off
> immediately.
> 
> Many a young Roman went off to the wars in sorrow, leaving his
> love. Many a Roman maiden died of grief as a result of this
> decree.
> 
> Now the good priest Valentine heard of the emperor's command
> and was very sad. When a young couple came to the temple, he
> secretly united them in marriage in front of the sacred altar.
> Another pair sought his aid and in secret he wedded them.
> Others came and quietly were married. Valentine was the friend
> of lovers in every district of Rome.
> 
> But, such secrets could not be kept for long. At last word of
> Valentine's acts reached the palace and Claudius the Cruel was
> angry, exceedingly angry. He summoned his soldiers. "Go! Take
> that priest in the temple! Cast him into a dungeon! No man in
> Rome, priest or not, shall disobey my commands!"
> 
> Valentine was dragged from the temple, dragged away from the
> altar where a young maiden and a Roman youth stood, ready to
> wed. Off to prison the soldiers took him.
> 
> All of Valentine's friends as well as their friends, interceded
> with Claudius in vane. Well was he named Claudius the Cruel. In
> a dungeon Valentine languished and died. His devoted friends
> buried him in the church of St. Praxedes. When you go to Rome
> you can see the very place. It was the year 270, on the
> fourteenth of February.
> 
> Another story says that Valentine was one of the early
> Christians in those far-away days when that meant danger and
> death. For helping some Christian martyrs he was seized,
> dragged before the prefect of Rome and cast into jail. There he
> cured the keeper's daughter of blindness. When the cruel
> emperor learned of this miracle he gave orders that Valentine
> should be beheaded. The morning of the execution, he is said to
> have sent the keeper's daughter a farewell message signed,
> "From your Valentine."
> 

Here's another version:-


Straight Answers By Fr. William Saunders

In the early martyrologies, three different St. Valentines are
mentioned, all sharing Feb. 14 for a feast day. Unfortunately,
the historical record is sparse. The first St. Valentine was a
priest and physician in Rome. He along with St. Marius and his
family comforted the martyrs during the persecution of Emperor
Claudius II, the Goth. Eventually, St. Valentine was also
arrested, condemned to death for his faith, beaten with clubs,
and finally beheaded on Feb. 14, AD 270. He was buried on the
Flaminian Way. Later, Pope Julius I (333-356) built a basilica at
the site which preserved St. Valentine's tomb. Archeological digs
in the 1500s and 1800s have found evidence of the tomb of St.
Valentine. However, in the thirteenth century, his relics were
transferred to the Church of Saint Praxedes near the Basilica of
St. Mary Major, where they remain today. Also, a small church was
built near the Flaminian Gate of Rome which is now known as the
Porta del Popolo but was called in the 12th century "the Gate of
St. Valentine," as noted by the early British historian William
Somerset (also known as William of Malmesbury, d. 1143), who
ranks after St. Bede in authority.

The second St. Valentine was the Bishop of Interamna (now Terni,
located about 60 miles from Rome). Under the orders of Prefect
Placidus, he too was arrested, scourged, and decapitated, again
suffering persecution during the time of Emperor Claudius II.

The third St. Valentine suffered martyrdom in Africa with several
companions. However, nothing further is known about this saint.
In all, these men, each named St. Valentine, showed heroic love
for the Lord and His Church.

The popular customs of showing love and affection on St.
Valentine's Day is almost a coincidence with the feast day of the
saint: During the Medieval Age, a common belief in England and
France was that birds began to pair on Feb.14, "half-way through
the second month of the year." Chaucer wrote in his "Parliament
of Foules" (in Old English): "For this was on Seynt Valentyne's
day, When every foul cometh ther to choose his mate." For this
reason, the day was dedicated to "lovers" and prompted the
sending of letters, gifts, or other signs of affection.

Another literary example of St. Valentine's Day remembrances is
found in Dame Elizabeth Brews "Paston Letters" (1477), where she
writes to the suitor, John Paston, of her daughter, Margery:
"And, cousin mine, upon Monday is St. Valentine's day and every
bird chooseth 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." In turn, Margery
wrote to John: "Unto my right well beloved Valentine John Paston,
Squyer, be this bill delivered. Right reverend and worshipful and
my right well beloved Valentine, I recommend me unto you, full
heartily desiring to hear of your welfare, which I beseech
Almighty God long for to preserve until His pleasure and your
heart's desire." While speaking of the amorous flavor of
Valentine's Day, no mention is made of the saint.

While it seems that the exchange of "valentines" is more the
result of secular custom rather than the memory of St. Valentine,
and that the celebration has been further paganized with cupids
and the like, there is a Christian message that should be
remembered. The love of our Lord, depicted beautifully in the
image of His most Sacred Heart, is a sacrificial, self-less, and
unconditional love. Such is the love that each Christian is
called to express in his own life, for God and neighbor. Clearly,
St. Valentine ˜ no matter which one ˜ showed such a love, bearing
witness to the faith in his dedication as a priest and in the
offering of his own life in martyrdom. On this Valentine's day,
looking to the example of this great saint, each person should
offer again his love to the Lord, for only by doing so can he
properly love those who are entrusted to his care and any other
neighbor. Each person should again pledge his love to those loved
ones, praying for their intentions, promising fidelity to them,
and thanking them for their love in return. Never forget Jesus
said, "This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved
you. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life
for one's friends" (Jn 15:12-13). St. Valentine fulfilled this
command, and may we do the same.


-- 
Deri James