Today is February 14th, Valentine's Day. We are all familiar with the hearts, candy, flowers, and other related classic touchstones of love and romance. The more world-weary and jaded of us might dismiss this holiday as a cheap and commercialized cash grab from candy makers, florists, and greeting card companies. But - as with all things - it's ultimately what you make of it.
The lore behind Saint Valentine's Day goes something like this: In the 3rd century CE, Christianity was gaining a foothold in the Roman Empire. Going against the empire, Valentine was a priest who dared to officiate marriages between men and women who had converted to Christianity. Eventually, the emperor ordered the brutal execution of Valentine. Before his death, Valentine is said to have performed a miracle: giving sight to the blind daughter of one of the judges who himself converted. As the story goes, the last thing Valentine ever wrote was a letter to her which he signed, "from your Valentine", giving rise to the tradition that persists to this day: declaring one's love for another and being their "Valentine".
Canonized centuries later, Valentine has become the patron saint of several things, most notably happy marriages. In the face of a cultural majority rejecting the way certain individuals chose to express their love, Valentine took a stand and paid the ultimate price.
These days, the Christian church may not have a reputation as an institution that defends love that goes against society's norms. Yet it is from this early Christian hero that we can learn a valuable lesson in fighting for love in all its forms. It cannot be denied that we are living in one of the most tolerant and accepting eras of history. Within the last decade, the United States has legalized same-sex marriages, finally affording human rights to members of the LGBTQ+ community that had been denied for centuries. But we still have a long way to go. Discrimination - even outright violence - against those who love differently is still a problem, and it is up to us to work toward ending this intolerance.
This Valentine's day, by all means enjoy the candy, the flowers, the hearts, the cards, the romcoms, and all the over the top expressions of romantic love. But let us also take this opportunity to celebrate and fight for love in all its forms, and stand up for those whose love is marginalized, just as Saint Valentine did so long ago.
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