The 3 so-called "St. Valentines" and the Paganization along with the Birds

O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance; 

Thy holy temple have they defiled; 

 Psalm 79:1

"In the early martyrologies, three different St. Valentines are mentioned, all sharing Feb. 14 for a feast day. 

Unfortunately, the historical record is sparse. 

The first St. Valentine was a priest and physician in Rome. He along with St. Marius and his family comforted the martyrs during the persecution of Emperor Claudius II, the Goth. 

Eventually, St. Valentine was also arrested, condemned to death for his faith, beaten with clubs, and finally beheaded on Feb. 14, AD 270. He was buried on the Flaminian Way. 

Later, Pope Julius I (333-356) built a basilica at the site which preserved St. Valentine's tomb. Archeological digs in the 1500s and 1800s have found evidence of the tomb of St. Valentine. 

However, in the thirteenth century, his relics were transferred to the Church of Saint Praxedes near the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where they remain today. Also, a small church was built near the Flaminian Gate of Rome which is now known as the Porta del Popolo but was called in the 12th century "the Gate of St. Valentine," as noted by the early British historian William Somerset (also known as William of Malmesbury, d. 1143), who ranks after St. Bede in authority.

The second St. Valentine was the Bishop of Interamna (now Terni, located about 60 miles from Rome). Under the orders of Prefect Placidus, he too was arrested, scourged, and decapitated, again suffering persecution during the time of Emperor Claudius II.

The third St. Valentine suffered martyrdom in Africa with several companions. However, nothing further is known about this saint.

The popular customs of showing love and affection on St. Valentine's Day is almost a coincidence with the feast day of the saint: During

the Medieval Age, a common belief in England and France was that birds began to pair on Feb.14, "half-way through the second month of the year." Chaucer wrote in his "Parliament of Foules" (in Old English): "For this was on Seynt Valentyne's day, When every foul cometh ther to choose his mate." For this reason, the day was dedicated to "lovers" and prompted the sending of letters, gifts, or other signs of affection.

Another literary example of St. Valentine's Day remembrances is found in Dame Elizabeth Brews "Paston Letters" (1477), where she writes to the suitor, John Paston, of her daughter, Margery: "And, cousin mine, upon Monday is St. Valentine's day and every bird chooseth himself a mate, and if it like you to come on Thursday night, and make provision that you may abide till then, I trust to God that ye shall speak to my husband and I shall pray that we may bring the matter to a conclusion." 

In turn, Margery wrote to John: "Unto my right well beloved Valentine John Paston, Squyer, be this bill delivered. Right reverend and worshipful and my right well beloved Valentine, I recommend me unto you, full heartily desiring to hear of your welfare, which I beseech Almighty God long for to preserve until His pleasure and your heart's desire." While speaking of the amorous flavor of

Valentine's Day, no mention is made of the saint.

While it seems that the exchange of "valentines" is more the result of secular custom rather than the memory of St. Valentine, and that the celebration has been further paganized with cupids ......"
CatholicEducationResearchCenter

Pagan Cupid: From "Sinister" to "Cute Little Kid"

And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned My holy name... Ezekiel 36:20

“In the [Greek] literary sources we have, he’s depicted as just unconquerable,” Richard Martin, a classics professor at Stanford University, tells TIME. “So, whatever he wants to happen, happens — and he causes disaster.”

The original Cupid was more of a heartthrob than a cherub. Traced

back to 700 BC, this character of legend was called Eros, Martin explains: the Greek word for desire. In the Archaic period, Eros — the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love — would play with the hearts of mortals and gods to cause mayhem. Depicted as a young man in his late teens, he was considered both handsome and threatening, as he would use his power to make people fall in love.

In a choral ode from Sophocles’ Antigone, circa 440 BC, Eros’ power is described as almost sinister: "[Eros] invincible in battle, [Eros] who falls upon men’s property, you who spend the night upon the soft cheeks of a girl, and travel over the sea and through the huts of dwellers in the wild! None among the immortals can escape, you, nor any among mortal men, and he who has you is mad."

In Hippolytus, a 5th century BC play by Euripides, the frightening notion that Eros could force the wrong people into love is highlighted. “I pray that love may never come to me / With murderous intent, in rhythms measureless and wild,” the ancient playwright wrote. (“Love” translates to Eros in Greek passages about the god.)

Increasingly, Eros’ stories were linked to stories about his mother, Aphrodite. If a woman controlled his every move, Martin speculates, then mortals had no reason to fear him. Eros was suddenly not so powerful anymore: He would act only on his mother’s wishes.
“The way to sort of constrain, constrict and defuse Eros is to keep infantilizing him. He’s under control, only the son of Aphrodite,” Martin says. Based on his mother’s wishes rather than his own chaotic impulses, he would use his powers to create relationships between people.

When the Roman era began, because Greeks were seen as culturally sophisticated, much of this Greek mythology was adopted by the new ruling classes. And when the Romans conscripted the Eros

mythology, they chose to bring over the more recent iteration of the god as a cute little kid. They named him Cupid, a synonym for Eros that also translates to “desire.” (His mother was likewise Venus, the Roman version of the Greek Aphrodite.)

Centuries later, Renaissance painters took up this imagery and depicted the Cupid figure as a child. 

This is seen in 1602 with Caravaggio’s Cupid, which showed a young, nude boy with wings and a bow.

Valentine’s Day was already becoming popular in the 18th century, and by the turn of the 19th century, Cupid had become linked to the holiday for his love-creating abilities.

So when Hallmark began manufacturing Valentine’s Day cards in 1916, this mass production meant sending postcards was much cheaper and easier. As Valentine’s Day became more convenient, Cupid imagery only continued to grow.
Valentine’s Day has remained one of Hallmark’s two biggest holidays, along with Christmas, since the company’s founding as a postcard company in 1910. In fact, industry-wide, around 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent annually—not including children’s classroom cards." 

TIME

Pope Gelasius I & Valentine's Day: Christianizing Paganism

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:21

"Tradition dictated that priests would gather at the entrance to the

sacred cave where Romulus and Remus were believed to have been nurtured by a she-wolf. 

They would then sacrifice a goat (for fertility) and a dog (for purification).

 

The goat's hide would be cut into strips and dipped into sacrificial blood, with priests taking the bloody skin chunks to the streets and literally slapping Roman women of childbearing age with them in the belief that it would increase the likelihood of them becoming pregnant. 

 

The story continues that, at the end of the holiday, those women who were slapped would place bits of papyrus with their names written on them in a big urn, and the city's biologically-viable bachelors would each choose a name, becoming "coupled" with her for one year – which would sometimes end in marriage if things went well.

 

Legends about a Valentine -- say that after a Roman emperor prohibited marriage for young men due to a belief that single men were better warriors than those with families. The story goes that Valentine refused to obey and helped other young soldiers to be married. When our purported Valentine was found out, the emperor reportedly sentenced him to death.

Other stories claim that an imprisoned Valentine sent the first "valentine" to a young woman he was enamored with (some suggest that it was the jailor’s daughter), before being executed.

 

At the end of the 5th century, however, Pope Gelasius I declared 14 February to be St. Valentine’s Day, a move to "Christianize" a fertility festival without cancelling it completely." Sputnik

IN the NEWS - One Sick and Twisted Valentine's

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5

 

"Ohio State University departments sponsored their own version of “Sex Week.” The extravaganza was put on by Student Advocates for Sexual Health Awareness...

 

Unsurprisingly, the departments sponsoring Sex Week were the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies as well as the College of Social Work, two departments without which students would emerge from Ohio State substantially smarter.

Despite stiff competition, the most pernicious event of OSU’s Sex Week is an event organized to “help thank abortion providers” called “Valentine’s for Abortion Providers.” Lifesite