Emmanuel Thomas l Tuesday, February 14, 2017
LAGOS, Nigeria – Today is VALENTINE. The cities are now abuzz with red attires, both young and old all deck in red believed to be the colour of love.
But colour is just part of it as many see it as a day to deliver gifts and take love ones out. For some it is a day to get down and feed on passion that has been bottled up for years. For many, this is exactly what Valentine is all about.
Many who are married may be forbidden from leaving the home today, they are expected to lock themselves up in the bedroom and do all that their hearts desires.
While many consider it a day worth celebrating, let’s pulse a while and begin to contemplate the origin of what has become a whirlwind that has taken the world by storm.
What is the origin of Valentine’s Day?
The World Book Encyclopedia informs us: “Valentine’s Day comes on the feast day of two different Christian martyrs named Valentine. But the customs connected with the day . . . probably come from an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia which took place every February 15.
The festival honored Juno, the Roman goddess of women and marriage, and Pan, the god of nature.”—(1973), Vol. 20, p. 204.
So for Christians, you might want to contemplate whether or not it is actually worth celebrating putting into consideration what you find at Exodus 20: 4, 5: “You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 You must not bow down to them nor be enticed to serve them, for I, Jehovah your God, am a God who requires exclusive devotion, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing loyal love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments”, the Bible said when it comes to worship.
Besides, we have also been told that love is the symbol of true Christianity. Jesus made this point very clear at John 13: 34, 35 that by love his disciples will be identified.
“I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are my disciples—if you have love among yourselves”. What this place seems to be telling us is that love is a dominant quality a true Christian must display every moment of his life without setting aside a special day to celebrate love. What do you think?
