We don’t know much for certain about who St. Valentine was or what he did, but the celebration remembering him on February 14th has greatly inflated his stature in our current cultural consciousness. He lived in the 3rd century AD at the same time as Emperor Claudius II, or “Claudius the Cruel” as he has come to be known. Claudius was a bit of a warmonger, and in order to scratch his constant itch for battles, he needed a steady stream of new soldiers. He eventually ran into trouble with his recruitment efforts, so he took the uncommon step of outlawing marriage, thinking that without wives and families to go home to, the men would all sign up for service as soldiers.
This dim-witted decision led to some major pushback from not only citizens but especially churches and specifically a priest named Valentine. History hasn’t preserved many details about Valentine, so we don’t know if this was a man named Valentino who served as a priest on Rome or another of the same name who was the bishop of Terni, about 40 miles north of Rome in central Italy, or if these were the same person or possibly someone else. The name “Valentine” itself is derived from Latin and means worthy, strong, or powerful. Because of the popularity of the name, over the centuries there have been several Valentines who have suffered martyrdom. Regardless, the legend goes, the original Valentine was zealous in his ministry to the people of Rome and, in spite of the Emperor’s orders, continued encouraging them to get married and performing the ceremonies himself.
What is clearly documented and remembered about Valentine is that he was imprisoned and ultimately beheaded for his faith and actions on February 14th. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius I declared the date of his death to be celebrated as St. Valentine’s Day.
St. Valentine is remembered for doing the right thing, pushing back against a law that clearly contradicted the commands of Scripture. In our day and age, we ought to be ready to do the same thing if the situation presents itself, but we also must be discerning about the method of any resistance we offer and what laws we choose to resist. Over the years, Lutherans have drawn some clear theological lines incorporating both the scriptures that advocate for submission to the governing authorities, such as Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2, while also clearly holding to the principle stated in Acts 5 that tells us that when God’s laws come into conflict with man’s laws, “We must obey God rather than men.”
With that said, I’m looking forward to the day when we will no longer have to wear our masks in church, and I’m sure many of you are, too. Only God knows for sure when that day will come. However, in the meantime, we continue to follow our state mandates and practice this discipline of mask-wearing knowing that it can actually lead to spiritual growth in us.
As you wear your mask in church, it may bother you or make it a little more difficult to breathe. Let that remind you of how our Lord and Savior suffered on the cross for you, giving up His last, labored breaths for you. If you are bothered by the feel of the mask on your face, remember that when Jesus was stripped and beaten by the Roman soldiers, He was also draped with a scarlet robe against His will and given a reed to hold in the manner of a toy scepter. These were used to mock Him as a false king while He silently endured the shame, “like a sheep that before its shearers is silent.” Jesus was stripped of His clothing for you with nothing to cover the shame of his sliced-up, stricken, smitten body.
We “share in suffering as a good soldier” (1 Timothy 2:3) when we submit to laws that inconvenience us or that we don’t like to follow. When we, as a church, endure everything from minor nuisances and discomfort to true suffering in the manner of our Savior, we grow together in our faith and in the relationships we have. This is what the New Testament calls koinonia, or in English is usually translated as “fellowship.” We build fellowship in our shared suffering, just like when we take part in communion together (Acts 2:42).
St. Paul tells us that we should rejoice in these times of testing and tribulation. He says, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5) If we are faithful in following Christ in little things, our Lord will give us bigger opportunities in the future. There is a chance that we will end up like St. Valentine, but I hope and pray that ultimately, like him, “we who rejoice in Christ’s triumph may embody His love in our lives.”