There have been numerous attempts, despite scarce historical data, to provide reliable biographical details concerning St. Valentine. That is a very difficult task. Scholars have not agreed among themselves as to who St. Valentine was and what he did.
St. Valentine may have been a member of the clergy, whether bishop, priest or deacon, who was persecuted and eventually martyred during the third century. It appears that he lived in Rome or near Rome. The Catholic Encyclopedia that was published during the early 20th century presented three distinct individuals who were connected to Feb. 14. And The Roman Martyrology (2001) — a collection of saints and their deeds — succinctly states that St. Valentine was a martyr who died on the Via Flaminia in Rome.
One legend surrounding St. Valentine is that he was a principled man who lived the virtue of charity under stress and encouraged others to do likewise. His letters from prison may have been the precursors to our modern day “Valentines” that express love and affection.
Although short on precise information, we have looked to St. Valentine for an inspiring example of love for and commitment to God while simultaneously assisting his brothers and sisters.
Father Joseph Francis Sollier, in The Catholic Encyclopedia, defined charity as “a divinely infused habit, inclining the human will to cherish God for His own sake above all things, and man for the sake of God.” The Holy Spirit is the source of our charity. Reputable spiritual authors and directors advise that if we are serious about being charitable, then we must often avail ourselves of the strength of that same Holy Spirit coming to us through the seven sacraments.
These sacraments give to us the grace that they signify. The two sacraments we receive most regularly, penance and the Eucharist, are storehouses of God’s power. To have recourse to confession and Communion helps to ensure that we will enjoy charity in our souls. Daily prayer, devotion to Our Lady, meditation on sacred Scripture, mortification and Christian service flavor and enliven our charitable efforts.
When so much of the world is far from true charity and instead settles for a mean counterfeit that is different from genuine love, we must do our part to put charity where it does not exist. St. Paul declared: “For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died.” (2 Cor 5:14) Once we are constituted in charity, “we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us.” (2 Cor 5:20)
Without awkwardness we can imagine St. Valentine praying in union with St. Paul: “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:9-10)
“Almighty and merciful God, who brought your martyr, blessed Valentine, to overcome the torments of his passion, grant that we, who celebrate the day of his triumph, may remain invincible under your protection against the snares of the enemy. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (The Roman Missal, Collect from the Commons of One Martyr)
Msgr. Mangan is on the faculty of Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.
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