Saint Valentine Day, observed globally on fourteenth of February every year, is a day of love. It is a day friends are celebrated. According to researchers, Valentine Day was named after a Roman priest, who lived during the reign of Emperor Claudius. The Emperor had an army and it seemed that for them to be physically and mentally fit to win wars, they ought not to get married. Thus, he prohibited young men from getting married.


However, Saint Valentine was against this law, so he secretly joined army couples in marriage. In one occasion, while he was doing this, he was arrested and jailed. In jail, he became friendly with the jailer’s daughter, a blind girl. Her kind words were the source of strength and encouragement that kept Valentine going till the day of his execution. Due to his emotional bond with the girl, he wrote her a note titled “from your first Valentine”.


There was also a conventional belief in Europe during the middle ages that birds chose their partners in the middle of February. Thus, the day was dedicated to love and people observed it by writing love letters and sending small gifts to their loved ones. Another school of thought says the day originates from two of the most sexually perverted pagan festivals of ancient history, Lupercelia and Juno Februata, the goddess of love and of women and marriage. Lupercelia is known as the “Festival of Sexual License”. It was held by the ancient Romans in honour of Lupercus, god of fertility and husbandry.


Pope Gelasius the second, who reigned from 1118 to 1119, declared February fourteenth to be Saint Valentine Day.   These days, on Valentine Day, many people give flowers, letters, candy, cards or presents to their spouses or partners.  The summary is that today, as it ought to be every other day, is a day of love.


However, it must be noted that God first loved us by giving us His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, saying that anybody who believes in Jesus should not perish, but have everlasting life. This goes to show that man’s sojourn on earth is a preparatory stage. Man is on earth to prepare for where he or she will spend eternity; either in hell or in heaven.


Thus, God gave man freedom to either follow the tiny way of righteousness and holiness, through Jesus Christ, that leads to heaven or follow the wide path, filled with impunity, sexual immorality, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, envy, drunkenness, lust and other forms of worldliness; to which those who live in such lifestyle will not enter the kingdom of God but hell fire.


Therefore, as we celebrate this day of love, let us remember that God cautions in His word in first Corinthians chapter thirteen; that love is patient and kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it does not keep malice and it is not proud. Love is not carnal or promiscuous; love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, hopes and always perseveres. Love never fails. Cheating, stealing, or going into fornication or even adultery is not love but lust, which must surely lead to eternal damnation.


However, it is unfortunate that promiscuity, drunkenness, rape, harassment, fornication, adultery, killing and maiming in the name of love, are being perpetrated nowadays in the name of Valentine Day celebration.
Those involved in these activities should repent. They should know that they come with negative consequences such as sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy and resultant abortion; then eternal damnation. Sex is not the only way you show someone that you love him or her. Research shows that venereal diseases and unplanned pregnancies occur most during Valentine Day.


Therefore, people must go back to the real meaning of Valentine Day by expressing true love; not lust. Young people and even promiscuous adults should emulate the Biblical Joseph, Moses, Esther, Daniel, Meshach, Shedrack, Abednego and even Jesus who, at their youthful ages, gave their strength and lives to God, their maker. We must extend our love to the motherless babies, vulnerable people in our midst, the old, the sick and the less privileged; they need our love the most. And as the 2019 general election is some few hours away, all stakeholders in the exercise must true love, devoid of malpractice. Let it be conducted in fairness, equity and justice so that the winner would be seen by all to have won. That is true love and the essence of Saint Valentine Day.

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