Commonwealth Policy Center

Well men, if you haven’t gotten chocolates and flowers for your wife, there’s still time to do so. In case you forgot, it’s Valentines Day today. Did you know that this holiday is named after an actual person who was persecuted by the Roman Emperor Claudius? Actually, there were three Valentines martyred for the faith.  We’re not exactly sure which one we celebrate but we do know that February 14 was the eve of Lupercalia, a pagan Roman festival steeped in immoral sexual behavior.  As Christianity spread, the early church replaced pagan festivals with holy days. So instead of the Lupercalian festival, early Christians celebrated the feast of Saint Valentine. Christianity holds that human sexuality is governed by moral boundaries within the context of marriage.  This leads to human happiness which is worth celebrating. Happy Valentines Day!