Should Christians celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Should Christians celebrate Valentine’s Day? Right off the bat there are Christians who will defend Valentine’s Day and say “It is a celebration of love, and isn’t God love? No harm done.” Love, in many forms – love for family and friends, romantic love and the goodwill toward your neighbour.

via GIPHY

I think it is always good to know the root of something, after all the word of God says, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.” Matthew 15:13-14

Where did the Valentine’s Day concept even come from?
There are several speculations.

• The Catholic church is said to recognize[s] at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

  

  https://www.ctsbooks.org/real-story-saint-valentine/

• Valentine the priest. He would get couples married when it was against the law (because Emperor Claudius II thought wives and children distracted men from war) He was caught and executed.
• Apparently, there was man who would help Christians escape from Roman persecution. He loved the jailer’s daughter and would sign off his letters, “from your Valentine.” Again, he was also killed.
• Valentine is also speculated to have been a Bishop who was also beheaded by Emperor Claudius II.

2. Valentine’s Day has its roots in a Pagan Festival in February: Lupercalia

Every year on the 15th of February, Lupercalia was celebrated. This pagan festival was characterised by ritual sacrifice, blood, milk, partially or completely naked men hitting women with the hides of the goats – all in a bid to ward off evil spirits and infertility.

Did I mention random matchmaking? Names of women were placed in a hat and men would choose a name and voila! A couple! Legend has it that many ended up married within a year.

“In the late 5th century A.D., Pope Gelasius I eliminated the pagan celebration of Lupercalia and declared February 14 a day to celebrate the martyrdom of Saint Valentine instead, although it’s highly unlikely he intended the day to commemorate love and passion.”

3. Valentine’s Day Symbols

Cupid – rooted in Greek mythology – Cupid is a cherub with a bow and arrow who makes people fall in love with each other. “Getting hit by Cupid’s arrow” is a commonly used phrase regarding matters of the heart.

Valentine’s Day is typically associated with the colours red and white. It is believed that red represents the blood from animal sacrifices and white signifies the milk which symbolised fertility.

Another thing to ponder on is “What are the fruits of Valentine’s Day?” because you shall know them by their fruits? Is it really love for your significant other, friends and family that gets promoted or it becomes a serious showdown of materialism?

And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of^[c]covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Luke 12:15

For Christians, God is love. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8.

If we sit down and have an honest chat with ourselves, how much does this secular celebration actually glorify God and love as He defines it?

The Catholic Church celebrates the matyrdom of St. Valentine but the greatest matyr there is is Jesus Christ.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

In Romans 14, Paul brings to light that there are grey areas in our Christian walk, there is no comprehensive list of dos and don’ts and some things come down to personal conviction.  

I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Romans 14:14

That is a brief history of Valentines Day, enjoy responsibly. What is your conviction about the matter? The Holy Spirit is there to guide us in all truth. John 16:13

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