Someone posted a cartoon on Facebook this week. It pictured a man dressed in 3rd century garb and carrying his own head standing in front of a couple who were obviously enjoying a romantic dinner at a restaurant. The caption read, "Hi, I'm St. Valentine. I was brutally beaten and beheaded in the year 269 A.D. I just wanted to thank you for remembering me on this day of romantic love. Enjoy your dinner!
I've often wondered what St. Valentine must think about the way we celebrate his feastday. Candy hearts and sexy underwear don't seem to have been a large part of his life and ministry. Of all the strange transmogrifications of Christian feasts into secular holidays, this has to be among the strangest. Today's Google homepage is a nice, weird example. If you haven't seen it, there are two Ferris wheels (today is the birthday of the inventor of the Ferris wheel) at a carnival. By clicking on a heart, you can match up an animal from each Ferris wheel and then see their little love story. Well, I guess you have to see it for yourself.
I don't really have much to say about this. I'm just observing. If you want to read more about St. Valentine or both St. Valentines, maybe, I'm sure there is abundant information, both true and weird, elsewhere on the internet.
I'll just say, "St. Valentine, and Sts. Cyril and Methodius, pray for us all."
AMDG
The phrase "Be my valentine" has always puzzled me. I can remember wondering about it as a child. What exactly did it mean to be a valentine?
ReplyDeleteThere is also, on Facebook, a picture of Gollum holding a big pink candy heart inscribed "Be my precious."
Sometime or other, I heard that St. Valentine wrote letters of encouragement to those in prison and that that was how we started sending notes on Valentine's Day. I suppose if that's true, the people who write to you encouraging you to keep the Faith and be strong are your Valentines. I don't that's what most people mean by it though. ;-)
ReplyDeleteDarn. And I was so proud of my candy heart. I hate it when somebody else is funnier than I am.
AMDG