- Jan 25, 2009
- 19,765
- 1,428
- Faith
- Oriental Orthodox
- Marital Status
- Private
- Politics
- US-Others
There are moments when you want to say "Thank you, St.Valentine, for giving your life for the sake of love rather than seeking love or seeking to be in love for its own sake...and never ceasing to remember that "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends" ( John 15:12-14 ).
Specifically.....it's fascinating seeing how Emperor Claudius was blaming the lack of success for his army on marriages - and then made a ban against marriage within the Roman government, leading to St.Valentine being imprisoned alongside other believers because he continued to marry others in secret since he knew that it wasn't ultimately the government that determines the nature of marriage....or the right to be considered in it.
A Christian priest in Rome, it was the case tha Valentine was known for assisting Christians persecuted under Claudius II - and after being caught marrying Christian couples and helping Christians escape the persecution, Valentine was sent before the Emperor. At first, Emperor Claudius originally liked Valentine - but he was condemned to death later when he tried to convert the emperor.
And although he was tortured for his actions (as well as supposedly tortured for falling in love with the daughter of one of his captors - who may've written letters to him), it's interesting to consider the reality that he was able to do as he did because he knew where the ultimate source behind sacraments come from - before the Lord and ordained by the Church.
St. Valentine inspires me because of his focus on ensuring that the family unit is kept in tact. And whereas most celebrate today on the basis of romance, I am glad for others saying they will celebrate on the basis of principle when it comes to simply loving people
It has been such a blessing seeing that play out in my own life where others chose to encourage me (in my single state at those times) rather than think the day was about married couples only/saying "I love you" to your spouse.
But as it concerns others, for real life stories/testimonies...
I knew of the girl once who came to one of the inner-city ministries I worked at for a time...and she shared her story of how her mother was a cocaine-addict who was highly dysfunctional. When the mother found out she was pregnant, she wanted to kill her child and tried many times...but was unsuccessful.
When she was born, the child was considered a "crack baby" due to having some of the same traits as her mother...and the child was often left for days without food or water. But somehow the child lived. When there were some parents who happened to come across the mother and find out what happened with the child, they offerred to take care of her...and the mother gave the child up.
Although the child was near death at one point and not expected to live, the adoptive mother prayed for the Lord to restore life to the child and make the child live again....and she literally stood with the child hugging it for hours/days on end. Eventually, the child began to make a radical comeback---and today, as a young adult, she is touring cities all over the world and talking about how much the Lord loves those people deem as unwanted and has great plans for them. When she came to the ministry I was working with, it was such a timely message since there were high accounts of gang violence (as well as abortion and murder) among the populace...and the children there were often abandoned and literally having to raise themselves alone. I was so glad to know that the Lord truly used her to bring life from the dead.
There was another similar story of how a man once came to me as I was working....and he seemed lost. I was on my guard since violence has been known to occur when you're alone in the hood. I didn't want to judge the man without seeing where he was coming from---and so I asked him "Is there anything we can help you with today?"...and the man replied "I don't know if I can even help myself at this point." To that, the man broke down and shared on his addiction to drugs and how he literally felt something driving him toward it...a spirit called Legion.
The Children's director I worked with was inside so I took the man to him...and we listened/prayed for the man to have deliverance from his struggles. It was wild since it was Valentines Day and the man realized that God truly loved him/was showing Him love that day that he not known before......and although he was living in a bad situation (as he was shacking up/living together with his girlfriend who also did drugs), he left it all immediately that day. We took him to the local rehab center down the street....and we gave him a Bible as well to read.
Weeks later, he was literally a different person, noting how many believers had come out of nowhere to support him in his battle for freedom. He was being used by one of the key speakers in the Rehab center to go to other places and share about the Lord...and he was leading Bible studies as well in his unit. I then felt led by the Holy Spirit to give him my back-pack after he was saying how thankful he was (as he was going to be going to a unit in North Carolina) and some good study materials on the Gospel. He was in shock on it since I had that back-pack for a long time....but when he asked me "Why? I don't deserve any of this..", I was blessed to say to him "Neither do I or anyone else--but I'm glad the Lord invests in us for what we can become rather than for what we are....and loves us." It was truly amazing and doing ministry on the streets is always an opportunity to see miracles
I pray others here are able to share in the same kind of testimonies - and if you have had anything, from a kind word to someone providing on Valentines day or any other time that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear. Blessings
Specifically.....it's fascinating seeing how Emperor Claudius was blaming the lack of success for his army on marriages - and then made a ban against marriage within the Roman government, leading to St.Valentine being imprisoned alongside other believers because he continued to marry others in secret since he knew that it wasn't ultimately the government that determines the nature of marriage....or the right to be considered in it.
A Christian priest in Rome, it was the case tha Valentine was known for assisting Christians persecuted under Claudius II - and after being caught marrying Christian couples and helping Christians escape the persecution, Valentine was sent before the Emperor. At first, Emperor Claudius originally liked Valentine - but he was condemned to death later when he tried to convert the emperor.
And although he was tortured for his actions (as well as supposedly tortured for falling in love with the daughter of one of his captors - who may've written letters to him), it's interesting to consider the reality that he was able to do as he did because he knew where the ultimate source behind sacraments come from - before the Lord and ordained by the Church.
- MYSTAGOGY: The Orthodox Saint Valentine
- St. Valentine Martyred for Marriage
- St. Valentine, a Christian Martyr - St. Marina Coptic Orthodox
- Orthodox St. Valentine's Day - Adventures of an Orthodox Mom
St. Valentine inspires me because of his focus on ensuring that the family unit is kept in tact. And whereas most celebrate today on the basis of romance, I am glad for others saying they will celebrate on the basis of principle when it comes to simply loving people
It has been such a blessing seeing that play out in my own life where others chose to encourage me (in my single state at those times) rather than think the day was about married couples only/saying "I love you" to your spouse.
But as it concerns others, for real life stories/testimonies...
I knew of the girl once who came to one of the inner-city ministries I worked at for a time...and she shared her story of how her mother was a cocaine-addict who was highly dysfunctional. When the mother found out she was pregnant, she wanted to kill her child and tried many times...but was unsuccessful.
When she was born, the child was considered a "crack baby" due to having some of the same traits as her mother...and the child was often left for days without food or water. But somehow the child lived. When there were some parents who happened to come across the mother and find out what happened with the child, they offerred to take care of her...and the mother gave the child up.
Although the child was near death at one point and not expected to live, the adoptive mother prayed for the Lord to restore life to the child and make the child live again....and she literally stood with the child hugging it for hours/days on end. Eventually, the child began to make a radical comeback---and today, as a young adult, she is touring cities all over the world and talking about how much the Lord loves those people deem as unwanted and has great plans for them. When she came to the ministry I was working with, it was such a timely message since there were high accounts of gang violence (as well as abortion and murder) among the populace...and the children there were often abandoned and literally having to raise themselves alone. I was so glad to know that the Lord truly used her to bring life from the dead.
There was another similar story of how a man once came to me as I was working....and he seemed lost. I was on my guard since violence has been known to occur when you're alone in the hood. I didn't want to judge the man without seeing where he was coming from---and so I asked him "Is there anything we can help you with today?"...and the man replied "I don't know if I can even help myself at this point." To that, the man broke down and shared on his addiction to drugs and how he literally felt something driving him toward it...a spirit called Legion.
The Children's director I worked with was inside so I took the man to him...and we listened/prayed for the man to have deliverance from his struggles. It was wild since it was Valentines Day and the man realized that God truly loved him/was showing Him love that day that he not known before......and although he was living in a bad situation (as he was shacking up/living together with his girlfriend who also did drugs), he left it all immediately that day. We took him to the local rehab center down the street....and we gave him a Bible as well to read.
Weeks later, he was literally a different person, noting how many believers had come out of nowhere to support him in his battle for freedom. He was being used by one of the key speakers in the Rehab center to go to other places and share about the Lord...and he was leading Bible studies as well in his unit. I then felt led by the Holy Spirit to give him my back-pack after he was saying how thankful he was (as he was going to be going to a unit in North Carolina) and some good study materials on the Gospel. He was in shock on it since I had that back-pack for a long time....but when he asked me "Why? I don't deserve any of this..", I was blessed to say to him "Neither do I or anyone else--but I'm glad the Lord invests in us for what we can become rather than for what we are....and loves us." It was truly amazing and doing ministry on the streets is always an opportunity to see miracles
I pray others here are able to share in the same kind of testimonies - and if you have had anything, from a kind word to someone providing on Valentines day or any other time that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear. Blessings
Last edited:
