It is obviously in the air as this is the month of love, a month with a special day most people recognize as a day to celebrate love with their significant other or better half. It is about the time you prove your love in different ways from outing, gift presentation and with lots of surprises, this is a time meant for just the two of us… I mean three is a crowd, not even a sucking child is invited. The spirit is everywhere with jingles on radio, shows prepared for that day at event centres, a time for companies to promote their related products, making the season last forever. The date is unmistakably 14th of February; the good thing about that of this year is that it is on a Saturday, Nice day!

Specially for ladies, if they don’t get something from their spouse or lover this day, it seem apparent that they are not loved (Brothers don’t give a wrong impression show some sisters love, you know), a time to hook up and get served, get some pampering with lots of expectations. But then does it always go like that, placing lots of significance on a universal attribute with the wrong message. There is much more in celebrating love than creating a fever with a wrong perspective.


Don’t get me wrong, I’m not firewood; I love to show love and of course be loved, In fact it is a superb feeling to be in love, what a sweet feeling, nothing could be more right than this to know that you are not experiencing lovelorn. But as time progresses as we experience this love, shouldn’t we see clearly and begin to clear our heads of this fever, does it mean that there is no boundary before we wound ourselves in the name of love? When the youthful desires are gone what is left? More so, this love we are preaching about is it real? Imagine a kind of love that is not extended, more selfish and reduced to a ceremony of exchanging gifts. Shouldn’t we be living in love on a daily basis or is it like the special rice that is prepared on Christmas day? I don’t understand!

I am not preaching against it (I can’t even win that), but in my little way to correct an impression. Some people even see it as a best time to have sex and excuses for immorality. Hope a little education on history will do: there are other stories about the date February 14th but I choose to stick with this perspective as it relates to the church; this is the story of Saint Valentine; the patron saint of Lovers… enjoy!

There lived a priest in Rome during the third century named Valentine, long time! At that time Rome was ruled by an Emperor called Claudius. Valentine loathed him and a lot of people shared the same feelings. Emperor Claudius wanted to have a big army and so expected men to volunteer to join, most men did not want to fight war as they didn’t want to have to leave their wives and families. As you would have guessed, not many men signed up to join the army. This made Emperor Claudius furious and came up with a crazy idea that if men were not married, they wouldn’t mind joining the army and so decided not to allow any more marriages.

Young people thought it was cruel; having one of his favorite activities hindered such as to marry couples, as a priest, Valentine was not supportive of it, even after the law was passed, he kept performing marriage ceremonies – secretly, with only the bride, the groom and himself whispering the words of the ceremony and listening for footsteps of soldiers. While performing one of such ceremony, he was caught while the couples were lucky enough to escape; was thrown in jail and sentenced to death. While in jail he tried to stay cheerful and what wonderful things happened, many young people came visiting, they threw flowers and note up to the window; they wanted him to know that they too believed in love. One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard, she was allowed by her father to visit him in the cell, kept him company and they talked for hours sometimes; she helped to keep his spirits up, also agreed with him that he did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor.

On the day he was to die, he left her a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty; he signed it “Love from your Valentine”. That note is believed to have started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentines Day. It was written on the day he died February 14th, 269 AD. Now every year on this day people remember, most importantly they think about love and friendship.

Hope you enjoyed it and hope you now know what you celebrate on that day, it is a day of remembrance dedicated to the patron saint of Lovers; St. Valentine, among other activities – send gifts, appreciating someone and other things we do for love, not promoting a wrong impression; also thinking of how the emperor tried to stand in the way of love – it is a moment that reminds us that love cannot be beaten!

So it ok to enjoy the moment but not to loose focus of what we are celebrating and not an excuse for immorality, love should be the essence of life; a daily activity. So I challenge you to make it a duty to show significant love to someone everyday of you life; then see how your life would be because what goes around surely comes around. (Karma)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Imagine, if love is spread extensively in our hearts, would there be war?

Random Posts