There are a great many legends about “Saint Valentine” who was a priest in third century Rome and ministered to persecuted Christians. One legend is that Valentine cut hearts from parchment, giving them to persecuted Christians, to remind them of God’s love for them.

According to Butlers Lives of the Saints, first published in four volumes in London between 1756–1759, Saint Valentine was martyred by beheading in Rome on February 14 in 269 CE and his feast day, “Saint Valentine’s Day,” was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496.

Nevertheless, enough uncertainty surrounded the true historical  identity of St. Valentine that in 1969 the Catholic Church discontinued liturgical veneration of him in 1969. But his name still remains on the official Catholic list of saints; but the Catholic liturgical calendar now states that February 14 is the feast day for Saints Cyril and Methodius, two brothers, called the “Apostles of the Slavs,” who spread the Gospel throughout Eastern Europe in the ninth century.

Oddly enough, the document that authorized the dropping of St. Valentine from the Catholic liturgical calendar was dated February 14, 1969.

Many of today’s legends about Saint Valentine, were in fact invented in the 14^th century in England by Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343-1400). Thanks to Chaucer’s stories, the date February 14^th became associated with romantic love.

Love is at the core of the life and message of the historic Jesus. But I doubt that Jesus was simply focused on romantic love. In John 13:34-35 we read that Jesus said: “I give you a new commandment. Love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another everybody will know that you’re my true followers.”

Looking at the life of Jesus in the Gospels, it is quite clear that love is an action word. It builds relationships. It promotes values and principles that are lived realities. Love means acceptance, belonging, trust, forgiveness, honesty, openness, generosity, and faithfulness. This is the way of Jesus. The person, who puts her or his faith in Jesus, trusts that Jesus taught the right way to live and accepts Jesus as one’s life guide. Jesus is our “Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6)

Over time, however, faith in Jesus, for many Christians and institutional Christian leaders, became less a way of life and much more a doctrinal statement to be accepted. Accepting the word became more important than living the word. It became paramount to believe, for instance, that Jesus was divine, regardless how one lived one’s life. We know, of course, that throughout Christian history many crooked people, liars, and murderers publicly accepted the divinity of Christ but then went about and continued their evil ways. Some were even popes and political leaders.

And today?

The historical Jesus did not focus on himself. He was not ego-centered but other-centered. Through his lived spiritual values of courage, cooperation, fairness, forgiveness, and faithfulness, Jesus revealed divinity as well as authentic humanity.

People who are ego-centered become slaves to habitual behaviors that become addictions: selfishness, deceitfulness, callousness, and arrogance. Those addictive habits can provide momentary satisfaction. They can help self-centered people generate lots of money and even get applauded as people sent by God. But the self-centered diminish life and destroy it, because they ignore and reject actually living the word of Jesus. Many people can be powerful and  clever but Christians are loving.

– Jack

Dr. John Alonzo Dick – Historical Theologian