Today is Valentine’s Day, a day that is about love. Or so that is what the commercialized version of the holiday has become. It originates as a day to venerate a saint named Saint Valentinus of the Roman Catholic Church who married people in secret when the Roman Emperor Claudius Gothica banned marriage. As is common with these venerations is relics, one of which is purported to be the finger of the saint in Coventry, West Midlands, England at St. John the Baptist’s Church. How a finger of a Roman Christian got there is a mystery, as there is no records to explain how it got there, even the Father who presides over the parish says to the BBC,
“So at some point it's been sealed and stamped to say 'this is a true relic.” (https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/mystery-st-valentines-finger-city-081949404.html). Ah the good ol Medieval we just trust this is pieces of the True Cross or bones of the saints. It is things like this that Martin Luther in the Luther Movie made jokes about, “Spain has thirteen of the Twelve Apostles skeletons, here we have bread from the last supper, breast milk from Virgin, enough nails from the True Cross to shoe every horse in saxony and all manner of sacred bone.” (Luther 2003, Movie).
Relics our Roman Cousins claim are to draw us near to the sacred, but many are fabrications. There are Three major shrines that claim they have the true Holy Grail or Cup of Christ that our Lord used at The Last Supper. There is no way to substantiate these as being the actual articles from the Crucifixion or from saints. For one as The Scriptures are clear, the Apostles did not cling to vessels and objects for venerations, they went about the world preaching The Word, the Gospel of Jesus. The idea that anyone kept the Cup of Christ which belong to the Man with Upper Room, “And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready,” (Luke 22:12), notice it was already funished for the Passover. That any relics, especially St. Valentine’s true finger in this is really his finger is absurd. Worse is idolatrous,
“We generally get it out around Valentine's Day. That's a day when there's quite a bit of interest and couples do like to come and receive a blessing with the relic," Bracey said. And “People who wish to come and pray before it or receive a blessing, can do so." (https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/mystery-st-valentines-finger-city-081949404.html). Pray before it?! Receive a blessing from it? That is idolatry, for as our Lord Jesus said to Satan, “Away with you Satan! For it is written, Worship the Lord God and serve only Him!” (Matthew 4:10). The Cult of the Saints, and their relics is left overs of misguided and maddening Medieval Church that violates God’s Word. For they use these saints a mini mediators, when there is only One Mediator, “For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, Son of Man.” (1 Timothy 2:5) and “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:15) Jesus is the Way, not saints, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Anything, even good people of God, who take your eyes from fixating on Christ is idolatry! For we are to fix our eyes on Jesus, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2). Notice it is He who is the Perfecter of our Faith, not St. Valentine, or anyone else!
I have written about if we should celebrate Valentine’s Day, and my consensus was not to be part of this idolatrous veneration. I will say the idea of celebrating love is something I applaud, for Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35). Granted romantic love that he day tends to emphasize was not the exact type of love used there, but I think Christ is glad that couples express their love for one another on a day like today. This is a case where the secularization actually is beneficial, because it divorces the Roman Catholic idolatry from a generalized celebration of love. After all the Apostle said, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction,” (1 Corinthians 13:1) and “nd now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Having a holiday to help emphasize that we need to express love is a good thing, even it can be a chance to get right with Christ and other Christians, “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first![a] Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.” (Revelation 2:4-5, NLT). I think in these ways we can possibly utilize this holiday, using it draw us closer in love with our Lord and one another. Amen.
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