Saturday, 27th February, 2016
MARVELS OF GRACE
SEASON V (Extra III)
Saturday, 27th February, 2016
MARVELS OF GRACE
SEASON V (Extra III)
End of the Month Special
(Meant to celebrate men and women of valour who rose from obscurity to become celebrities…)
SAINT VALENTINE: THE EPITOME OF LOVE
Saint Valentine was a Roman Priest who lived at a time when Emperor Claudias was the ruler of Rome. Claudias greatly persecuted the church at that time and also had an edict that prohibited the marriage of young people. This was based on the hypothesis that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers because married soldiers might be afraid of what might happen to them or their wives or families if they died.
This didn’t go down well with the church authority which thought that marriage was very sacred between one man and one woman for their life and that it was to be encouraged. And so it immediately presented the problem to all the members of the Christian church of what to do about it. The idea of encouraging young people to marry within the Christian church was what Valentine was all about. So, he started joining them together in secret marriage ceremonies because of the Emperor’s edict.
Saint Valentine was eventually caught, imprisoned and tortured for performing marriage ceremonies against the command of Emperor Claudias the second. One of the men who were to judge him in line with the Roman law at the time was a man called Asterius, whose daughter was blind. Valentine prayed with and healed the young girl with astonishing effect that Asterius himself became a Christian as a result.
In the year 269AD, Valentine was sentenced to a three part execution of a beating, stoning and finally decapitation all because of his stand for Christian marriage. The last words he wrote before his death were in a note to Asterius daughter, the young blind girl he had previously healed. He simply wrote, “From your Valentine.”
Saint Valentine was a man who stood up for his faith and most especially his believe that marriage is a divine institution that no man, emperor or not, should stop. He stuck to his guns even to the point of death and that’s why February 14th, the day of his execution was declared to commemorate him for his faith, courage and selflessness. However, even Valentine would not be pleased with how the day has been turned to something else – to fulfill lust, fornicate and other immoral acts by unmarried young couples today.
To me, Valentine’s Day is a day of selfless love to everyone around me, a day to reflect on the greatest love, the gift of the Son of God who died for the sins of the world and a day of absolute purity. And of course, every other day should be same.
Happy Weekend!
(Note: This is the End of Marvels of Grace, Season V. Watch out for a brand new Season VI… coming soon.)
End of the Month Special
(Meant to celebrate men and women of valour who rose from obscurity to become celebrities…)
SAINT VALENTINE: THE EPITOME OF LOVE
Saint Valentine was a Roman Priest who lived at a time when Emperor Claudias was the ruler of Rome. Claudias greatly persecuted the church at that time and also had an edict that prohibited the marriage of young people. This was based on the hypothesis that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers because married soldiers might be afraid of what might happen to them or their wives or families if they died.
This didn’t go down well with the church authority which thought that marriage was very sacred between one man and one woman for their life and that it was to be encouraged. And so it immediately presented the problem to all the members of the Christian church of what to do about it. The idea of encouraging young people to marry within the Christian church was what Valentine was all about. So, he started joining them together in secret marriage ceremonies because of the Emperor’s edict.
Saint Valentine was eventually caught, imprisoned and tortured for performing marriage ceremonies against the command of Emperor Claudias the second. One of the men who were to judge him in line with the Roman law at the time was a man called Asterius, whose daughter was blind. Valentine prayed with and healed the young girl with astonishing effect that Asterius himself became a Christian as a result.
In the year 269AD, Valentine was sentenced to a three part execution of a beating, stoning and finally decapitation all because of his stand for Christian marriage. The last words he wrote before his death were in a note to Asterius daughter, the young blind girl he had previously healed. He simply wrote, “From your Valentine.”
Saint Valentine was a man who stood up for his faith and most especially his believe that marriage is a divine institution that no man, emperor or not, should stop. He stuck to his guns even to the point of death and that’s why February 14th, the day of his execution was declared to commemorate him for his faith, courage and selflessness. However, even Valentine would not be pleased with how the day has been turned to something else – to fulfill lust, fornicate and other immoral acts by unmarried young couples today.
To me, Valentine’s Day is a day of selfless love to everyone around me, a day to reflect on the greatest love, the gift of the Son of God who died for the sins of the world and a day of absolute purity. And of course, every other day should be same.
Happy Weekend!
(Note: This is the End of Marvels of Grace, Season V. Watch out for a brand new Season VI… coming soon.)
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