BBC:...St Valentine 'not saint of love' ...try this instead...

"St Valentine 'not saint of love'


If roses won't do the trick, try Saint Raphael suggests the Catholic Church

Britain's Roman Catholic Church is advising lovelorn singles to direct their 14 February requests for love to St Raphael, rather than St Valentine.

Over the years St Valentine has come incorrectly to be associated with finding love, the Church says.

He is the patron saint for those who have already found their soulmate.

St Raphael is the patron saint for happy encounters and it is to him those fearing the Valentine's post should properly direct their prayers.



Divine intervention




Clare Ward, spokeswoman for the Catholic Enquiry Office, the official body providing information on Catholic life, said that while the distinction between the saints has always been clear within the Church it has, over the years, been blurred outside.

"Saint Valentine passed a note to his jailer's daughter, whose sight he is thought to have cured," she said.

"The note had no romantic content, but it's from this story that the tradition of sending notes of appreciation has come from.



"If tomorrow you are still looking for your soul mate, the actual patron saint is St Raphael.

"He's the person you should dedicate your day or pray to if you are looking for Mr or Mrs right."

St Raphael, according to legend, helped Tobias enter into marriage with Sarah, who had seen seven previous bridegrooms perish on the eve of their weddings.

It is he within the canon of Catholic saints who is properly associated with helping to forge partnerships.
The oldest known Valentine's message, dating from 1477

St Valentine is said to have been martyred in Rome in 269.

While his exact history is unclear, Valentine is thought to have existed as archaeologists have unearthed an early church dedicated to someone of that name.

One theory is that he was a priest in Rome who continued to marry Christian couples in defiance of the law of the day.

On the eve of his execution, he is said to have signed a note to his jailer's daughter: "From your Valentine."



Spiritual networks



Those hoping for divine intervention to help their love lives may well appreciate the correction in target for their prayers, but Miss Ward also had some more advice.

"There is a lot of evidence to suggest that young people who have tapped into prayer groups have found partners," she said.

"Those who have exhausted traditional routes like online dating should try spiritual networks.

"Why not come along to a prayer group - it could be your lucky night."

[link to news.bbc.co.uk]

"In the run up to Saint Valentine’s Day the pressure is on to find, or at least be seen with, someone special.

Chocolates, cards, flowers and gifts fill shops in the weeks preceding the big day.

But what do you do if you’re not in a relationship?

Well, for generations of singles looking for their soulmate, Saint Raphael, has proved himself to be a powerful spiritual friend.

Many have testified that prayers to him have resulted in their finding a life-long partner. Interested?"


[link to www.life4seekers.co.uk]

"...top tips for finding a soulmate.


Pray – seek spiritual guidance and help so that you are open to meeting the person that God has prepared for you.

Time and Place – reflect on which places to frequent where you are most likely to meet someone of like mind and interests.

Vision – don’t have tunnel vision about who you think would be your ideal partner. Broaden your horizons.

Book and Cover – be open to not judging someone by first appearances, but be ready to discover the real person.

Influenced – what counts is how you feel about someone. The opinion of others shouldn’t always dominate your actions, but sometimes they can help.

Time – there’s no need to rush. It is far better to get to know someone over a long period of time so that your final decision about marriage is based on solid ground.

Consider – what is your life vision and priorities because your life-long partner should have a similar outlook.

Compatibility – only a small part of a relationship is based on sex. Far more important is whether or not you have overall compatibility and accept each other without wanting to change one another.

Marriage – if you are looking for someone to spend the rest of your life with, ask yourself if you would be prepared to marry them. If not, question your motivations and chance of long-term happiness.

Children – are you both open to having a family and, if so, how do you wish to raise them? Are you in agreement over the religious faith you wish them to live by?"

[link to www.life4seekers.co.uk]

Val·en·tine (vln-tn), Saint fl. third century a.d.
Roman Christian who according to tradition was martyred during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Claudius II. Saint Valentine's Day was primarily celebrated in his honor, but was also inspired by another martyr named Valentine, who was bishop of Terni, a region in central Italy.
val·en·tine (vln-tn)
n.
1.
a. A sentimental or humorous greeting card sent to a sweetheart, friend, or family member, for example, on Saint Valentine's Day.
b. A gift sent as a token of love to one's sweetheart on Saint Valentine's Day.
2. A person singled out especially as one's sweetheart on Saint Valentine's Day.
[After Saint Valentine.]
Word History: Lovers and the greeting card industry may have Geoffrey Chaucer to thank for the holiday that warms the coldest month. Although reference books abound with mentions of Roman festivals from which Valentine's Day may derive, Jack B. Oruch has shown that no evidence supports these connections and that Chaucer was probably the first to link the saint's day with the custom of choosing sweethearts. No such link has been found before the writings of Chaucer and several literary contemporaries who also mention it, but after them the association becomes widespread. It seems likely that Chaucer, the most imaginative of the group, invented it. The fullest and perhaps earliest description of the Valentine's Day tradition occurs in Chaucer's Parlement of Foules, composed around 1380, which takes place "on Seynt Valentynes day,/Whan every foul cometh there to chese [choose] his make [mate]."

You're telling me, all of this is bullshit?

FOR THIS DAY!!

Jeanette’s Story

Despite the fact that I am about to get married in a few months time,the run up to St. Valentine’s Day still fills me with trepidation because of the powerful message from the media that you must have a partner to be happy.

Magazines and newspapers hone in on couples and overtly exclude those who are not in a relationship.

In fact, the impression is given that you can only be happy if there is someone special in your life.

This is not true and it causes undue pain to those who are not in a relationship; this pain is part of my own story.


Gradually, God taught me that I could know immense love and contentment as a single person. He taught me to feel whole and be myself, and this was an important part of my maturing and becoming ready to encounter the person that he had prepared for me to marry.

This meant that over time, before I’d met my fiancé, I learnt to enjoy myself by immersing myself in nature, literature and in good friendships.


I met my fiancé purely by accident and when I wasn’t really looking. In a very short period of time I realised that he was definitely the person that God had sent to be special in my life. Although I had in the past made a wish list in terms of my ideal man, the person God sent was quite the opposite, but I know he is right for me.


In terms of the discernment (decision-making) and prayer about my partner, a lot of this was done unconsciously; I realised that the more that I tried to hold onto my independence, there seemed so much more to gain by sharing my life with another person.

It struck me that my independence was worth sacrificing for something better.

Right throughout our relationship I felt led to give thanks to God for the companionship, love and support that had been introduced into my life. When you keep wanting to give thanks for your situation, it is a sign that something is right and God-given.

Prayer is important in this whole process. When you get something that you perceive to be really special, it is very important to protect it with prayers; especially to St. Raphael who is known as ‘God’s healer,’ also when strife can arise. So protect your relationship always with prayer to God and take the problems of the relationship to him every day.


If you’re not with someone at the moment, enjoy life, enjoy your independence and rest assured that God will bring the right person along when the time is right.

[link to www.life4seekers.co.uk]

I don´t know anythng about the history, just forwarding the BBC news article above (among others). It says:

"The oldest known Valentine's message, dating from 1477

St Valentine is said to have been martyred in Rome in 269.

While his exact history is unclear, Valentine is thought to have existed as archaeologists have unearthed an early church dedicated to someone of that name.

One theory is that he was a priest in Rome who continued to marry Christian couples in defiance of the law of the day.

On the eve of his execution, he is said to have signed a note to his jailer's daughter: "From your Valentine."





[link to news.bbc.co.uk]

Well, this day isn´t important at all...it just highlights an important thing...



so...





to you.

from what i understand st. valentine was not just one person but many martyrs. it wasn't until later that the church decided to declare an official *one* st. valentine.

You seem to be right...

"St. Valentine


Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith in effectual, commended him to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards, to be beheaded, which was executed on February 14, about the year 270. Pope Julius I is said to have built a church near Ponte Mole to he memory, which for a long time gave name to the gate now called Porta del Popolo, formerly, Porta Valetini.

The greatest part of his relics are now in the church of St. Praxedes. His name is celebrated as that of an illustrious martyr in the sacramentary of St. Gregory, the Roman Missal of Thomasius, in the calendar of F. Fronto and that of Allatius, in Bede, Usuard, Ado, Notker and all other martyrologies on this day. To abolish the heathens lewd superstitious custom of boys drawing the names of girls, in honor of their goddess Februata Juno, on the fifteenth of this month, several zealous pastors substituted the names of saints in billets given on this day.



The Origin of St. Valentine

The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.



The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in a The Nuremberg Chronicle, a great illustrated book printed in 1493. [Additional evidence that Valentine was a real person: archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine.] Alongside a woodcut portrait of him, text states that Valentinus was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius the Goth [Claudius II]. Since he was caught marrying Christian couples and aiding any Christians who were being persecuted under Emperor Claudius in Rome [when helping them was considered a crime], Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner -- until Valentinus made a strategic error: he tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that didn't do it, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate [circa 269].



Saints are not supposed to rest in peace; they're expected to keep busy: to perform miracles, to intercede. Being in jail or dead is no excuse for non-performance of the supernatural. One legend says, while awaiting his execution, Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. Another legend says, on the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine."



St. Valentine was a Priest, martyred in 269 at Rome and was buried on the Flaminian Way. He is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers, young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses.


Source: [link to www.catholic.org]

Charlie's Story


I have always had a great desire to be loved and to love but, particularly during my twenties, I ended up searching,

I now realise, in all the wrong places and going about it in totally the wrong way.

My seeking was selfish and invariably I was concerned with what I could get out of it, rather than what I could give.

I started a university course in the north of England and it was there that I met my wife, for the first time. I remember thinking that she was the most beautiful person that I had ever met.

As we got to know each other we both felt it was important that true friendship had to be at the heart of our relationship – that was perhaps the first decision we ever made together.

For me, who was fairly new to living life in faith, this relationship was unlike anything either of us had ever experienced.

There was a long period of getting to know one another and we tried to put prayer at the heart of our friendship; this I think is the key because we discovered the true beauty and dignity of the other through prayer.

I think, with hindsight, it also helped us to avoid moments and situations that might have compromised our friendship. I look back now and realise that the struggle to keep our relationship pure meant that we were building our relationship on rock rather than sand.

To begin with I didn’t think that we’d get married; we were just journeying together. However, after a period of time it dawned on me that she was the person I was going to marry.

One significant moment I remember clearly, was when I saw my wife-to-be in a photograph holding a baby and I just thought, “She’d make a great mum.” Six years on, we now have a six month old boy. It’s been a wonderful journey so far and we’re looking forward to what life has in store for us.

So, if there were three words I would use to summarise my journey to finding a wonderful wife, it would be: friendship, prayer and self-gift.

I’ll keep you in my prayers and I hope that you find the person who is being prepared for you.


[link to www.life4seekers.co.uk]