Pilgrimage Ponderings
More Than One Valentine
I've just googled Valentine's Day and found out all sorts of interesting things. For one thing, there are several martyred saints with the name Valentine. And which Valentine we remember on February 14 is not clear. It's also not certain why most of them were martyred.
My favorite story tells that Valentine was a priest. The emperor had decided that single men made better soldiers than married men with families. So he outlawed marriage. Valentine, knowing this was ridiculous, continued to secretly perform marriage services until he was caught and killed.
I like this story for several reasons. First, it gives a plausible explanation for how a Christian martyr became associated with a day for lovers. Also, it reminds me that our faith teaches us to value loving relationships within families. Lastly, the story highlights that there are more important things in life than the strength of an army.
All of those reasons can have meaning in our present context. We live in a culture that is obsessed with sexual behavior but has distorted and often destructive understandings about what it means to love. Our culture could use a good dose of healthy Christian theology about sexuality as a good gift from God when it occurs in a loving, committed relationship.
In light of the statistics on domestic violence and child abuse, along with the reality of how many times religious teaching is used to keep a woman in an abusive relationship, healthy Christian theology about how God wants everyone--even women and children--to have abundant life is something our culture needs.
And finally, we all need to remember that soldiers are human beings, created by God for purposes beyond their capacity as soldiers. When we treat people as means to an end, we act contrary to God's will and make a mockery of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us all.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Ray Reavis: My wife and I went to a Christian marriage conference by author Dr. Gary Chapman that was held Saturday at First Baptist in Rock Hill. It was a great conference, and wonderful to see over 1000 people attending a conference devoted to putting Christ first in their marriage. The conference was just yesterday, but it has already deepened the connection between my wife and I, but more importantly, it has already deepened our connection to God. (02/17/08)