Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Ruth Andreas offers a thoughtful reflection on the roots of St. Valentine's Day:
The corrupt ruler Claudius II (of Valentine's day) sought to divorce all people, thus breaking the sacred and affectionate bond between spouses and family members.

He hoped thereby to make people more malleable, more open to the suggested ends he sought for society.

In opposition to this, St. Valentine the priest was martyred for performing the marriage ceremony "illegally".

Today, whether in the area of "re-defining marriage" or in dictating how many children husbands and wives are allowed to have, we see a return to tactics that have been tried before. This intrusion of the state into the "sacred" arena of marriage and family is wrong.

We perceive with our "feminine genius" that family life has its many challenges and yet, within the great Household of God people can find their answers.

h/t: Erin

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