There lived, in the great city of Rome, a priest who
attracted the evil attention of an evil emperor, Claudius II.
Valentine
had been marrying Christian couples, and no service or sacrament was to be
administered to them under Claudius’ unholy reign. Valentine was arrested, and then became something of a
favored prisoner, by which we infer a godly, a pleasant, an interesting, and
invigorating character. While
prisoner, it is recorded that he restored the sight and hearing of the daughter
of his jailer.
Valentine
was not content to be favored or famous . . . he wanted to see Claudius walking
in the fullness of new life, and this cost him his life. Claudius had him stoned and beaten with
clubs, and when he yet lived, he was beheaded.
Man
or myth, this Valentine? Let us
consider that to us, the history or the legend of the man only lines up with what
we know to be true of those early Christians whose love for others did result
in healings, conversions . . . and martyrdom.
Here
is a Cor Unum valentine for each of us . . . shall we not minister the word of
life to someone perishing today? One
twentieth century evangelist set out to share the Gospel with someone every
day that he lived, and while that did not result in 365 conversions each year, the cumulative
numbers were astonishing.
Let
us each give a “valentine” in Jesus' name today - something that comes with grace and kindness and gentle wisdom from the heart of God - where we may before the sun goes down on this Valentine’s Day.
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