Valentine’s Day was established by the Catholic Church as the feast day celebrated on the 14th of February in honor and veneration of two so-called martyr-saints, both of whom are believed to have the name Valentine (The New Catholic Encyclopedia, v. 14, p. 517). This feast is closely associated with the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, observed on the 15th of February, “for which young men and maidens drew partners for the coming year by lottery” (Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, v. 21, p. 59). According to the Catholic Dictionary, pagan boys drew names of girls “in honour of the goddness Februata Juno” (p. 827). Such rites occurred around or on the date of the feast, the time when birds, based on a pagan legend, chose their mates (Ibid., p. 59). That the so called Saint Valentine became the patron saint of love and courtship in the Catholic Church can truly be attributed to pagan influence.
In view of the modern-day practices observed of Valentine’s
Day, we do not deny that sending greeting cards, boxes of candy, bouquet of
flowers and the like to one’s significant other can truly strengthen a
relationship. But to do them in consonance with the spirit of Valentine’s Day
is to compromise the teachings of the Bible with such pagan customs and
practices. Apostle Paul instructed:
“Here then is my word to you, and I urge it on you in the
Lord’s name: give up living as pagans do with their futile notions.” (Eph.
4:17, Revised
English Bible)
When it comes to finding ways of maintaining a strong and
loving relationship, especially between husband and wife, one does not really
have to search hard in order to find the answers. The answer is all in the
Bible. Apostle Paul advises Christian couples to nurture mutual respect and to
be considerate with each other (Eph. 5:33, New King James Version and I Pt. 3:7, New
International Version). In this way, married couples can love and
cherish each other “just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for
it” (Eph. 4:28-29, 25, New King James Version.-