St. Valentine the celibate had a burning passion for making love come to fruition.
In the third century, the priest performed secret wedding ceremonies so that young couples escaped the notice of Roman authorities who discouraged the tangling loyalties of marriage in favor of military enlistment and the glory of their emperor.
Like another great celibate, Paul, who wrote “The greatest of these is love,” and Jesus, who taught us the two greatest commandments about loving God and our neighbors, Valentine knew of a love warmer than the sweetest bedchamber and the most luscious Swiss chocolate hearts. How could these three unmarried men share expertise in what we supposedly celebrate on February 14?
Love is related to four meanings in Greek.
Family: Our first lesson in love... such as parents have for children and vice versa. But we grow up and grow old and that love is eventually separated and can’t alone sustain us.
Friendship: It can be deep and long, but at some points there are disappointments.
Sex. Love hopefully involves physical pleasures. Even the most passionate find out that this candle can’t be lit indefinitely.
Unconditional & Never Ending Love: “Agape” love transcends time and death.
Jesus spoke of nourishment that others didn’t understand. It was this kind of love that carried Valentine to his martyrdom…and into the hearts of those who commemorate that devotion eighteen centuries later.
PORTAL TO HEAVEN: God chooses the unlikely to show us the unimaginable.
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34 NIV
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