St. Valentine is traditionally said to have been a priest martyred in Rome around the third century. Few records of his life survive, but long tradition remembers him widely as a saint of love and friendship.
Life
There are few certain historical records about St. Valentine. According to tradition, he was a priest in Rome around the third century who kept the faith during persecution, was martyred, and was buried beside the Via Flaminia north of Rome.
Tradition also tells of a Bishop Valentine of Terni, near Rome, martyred around the same time, and it is unclear whether these accounts describe one person or two. Most of the stories told about him appear to be later legends.
The custom of celebrating February 14 as a day for sweethearts arose only from the Middle Ages onward. He has been venerated since before formal canonization procedures existed. Because his history is uncertain, he was removed from the General Roman Calendar in the 1969 reform, but he remains listed as a saint in the Martyrology.
Spirituality
Through St. Valentine, the Church remembers the faith of the early martyrs who bore witness to Christ amid persecution. The love now linked with his name finds its true meaning when it goes beyond feeling and becomes self-giving love like that of Christ.
Reflection
Valentine's Day is known as a day for expressing love. This year, along with a gift, why not offer God a prayer of thanks and blessing for the people I love?