Luke 6:17-26 – The Gospel harmonizes with the Old Testament
lesson, “Cursed is the man who trusts in
man…Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.” Blessed are those – whether
rich or poor, hungry or well-fed, happy or sad, hated or well-liked, who trust
in God to fill their need. The New English Bible translates Luke 6:20 –“How blessed are you who are in need.”
Matthew 5:3 – “How blessed are those who
know their need of God.” This reduces itself to the basic need for change
of values, from material to spiritual.
Herein the Savior describes those who are his own.
They are poor in spirit; they know of their need for a
Savior. The Psalmist writes, “Then I
acknowledge my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will
confess my transgressions to the LORD’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
– Psalm 32:5
They hunger after a righteousness they do not have of
their own effort. Examples of such include the dying thief on Calvary’s hill,
the prodigal son, and David who prayed with a contrite heart.
They weep; as did Peter. “Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken; ‘Before the rooster
crows, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
They bear the cross. We hear the Savior’s cry; “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you, who kill the
prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your
children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were
unwilling.” – Matthew 23:37
God’s grace turns poverty into riches, hunger into
satisfaction, weeping into laughter.
Collect for humility – O God, You resist the proud and give grace to the humble. Grant us true humility after the likeness of Your only Son that we may never be arrogant and prideful and thus provoke Your wrath but in all lowliness be made partakers of the gifts of Your grace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.[2] –
Who was St. Valentine,
and why do we celebrate him on February 14?
1.
The St. Valentine who inspired the holiday may have been two different men.
Officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church,
St. Valentine is known to be a real person who died around A.D. 270. However,
his true identity was questioned as early as A.D. 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who
referred to the martyr and his acts as “being known only to God.” One account
from the 1400s describes Valentine as a temple priest who was beheaded near
Rome by the emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples wed. A different
account claims Valentine was the Bishop of Terni, also martyred by Claudius II
on the outskirts of Rome. Because of the similarities of these accounts, it’s
thought they may refer to the same person. Enough confusion surrounds the true
identity of St. Valentine that the Catholic Church discontinued liturgical
veneration of him in 1969, though his name remains on its list of officially
recognized saints.
2.
In all, there are about a dozen St. Valentines, plus a pope.
The saint we celebrate on Valentine’s Day is known
officially as St. Valentine of Rome in order to differentiate him from the
dozen or so other Valentines on the list. Because “Valentinus”—from the Latin
word for worthy, strong or powerful—was a popular moniker between the second
and eighth centuries A.D., several martyrs over the centuries have carried this
name. The official Roman Catholic roster of saints shows about a dozen who were
named Valentine or some variation thereof. The most recently beatified Valentine
is St. Valentine Berrio-Ochoa, a Spaniard of the Dominican order who traveled
to Vietnam, where he served as bishop until his beheading in 1861. Pope John
Paul II canonized Berrio-Ochoa in 1988. There was even a Pope Valentine, though
little is known about him except that he served a mere 40 days around A.D. 827.
3.
Valentine is the patron saint of beekeepers and epilepsy, among many other
things.
Saints are certainly expected to keep busy in the
afterlife. Their holy duties include interceding in earthly affairs and
entertaining petitions from living souls. In this respect, St. Valentine has
wide-ranging spiritual responsibilities. People call on him to watch over the
lives of lovers, of course, but also for interventions regarding beekeeping and
epilepsy, as well as the plague, fainting and traveling. As you might expect,
he’s also the patron saint of engaged couples and happy marriages.
4.
You can find Valentine’s skull in Rome.
The flower-adorned skull of St. Valentine is on
display in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. In the early 1800s,
the excavation of a catacomb near Rome yielded skeletal remains and other
relics now associated with St. Valentine. As is customary, these bits and
pieces of the late saint’s body have subsequently been distributed to
reliquaries around the world. You’ll find other bits of St. Valentine’s
skeleton on display in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, England and
France.
5.
English poet Geoffrey Chaucer may have invented Valentine’s Day.
The medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer often took
liberties with history, placing his poetic characters into fictitious
historical contexts that he represented as real. No record exists of romantic
celebrations on Valentine’s Day prior to a poem Chaucer wrote around 1375. In
his work “Parliament of Foules,” he links a tradition of courtly love with the
celebration of St. Valentine’s feast day–an association that didn’t exist until
after his poem received widespread attention. The poem refers to February 14 as
the day birds (and humans) come together to find a mate. When Chaucer wrote,
“For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh there to
choose his mate,” he may have invented the holiday we know today.
6.
You can celebrate Valentine’s Day several times a year.
Because of the abundance of St. Valentines on the Roman Catholic roster, you can choose to celebrate the saint multiple times each year. Besides February 14, you might decide to celebrate St. Valentine of Viterbo on November 3. Or maybe you want to get a jump on the traditional Valentine celebration by feting St. Valentine of Raetia on January 7. Women might choose to honor the only female St. Valentine (Valentina), a virgin martyred in Palestine on July 25, A.D. 308. The Eastern Orthodox Church officially celebrates St. Valentine twice, once as an elder of the church on July 6 and once as a martyr on July 30.[3]
[1] Schnorr
Von Carolsfeld woodcuts “Jesus teaches the disciples” copyright © WELS
permission granted for personal and congregational use
[2]
Collect for Humility, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House,
St. Louis
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