Happy Valentine's Day

祝各位情人節快樂! 祝我自己生日快樂!
但這個節日真正的目的大家都忘了, 就和聖誕節一樣被世俗化!
不要忘了Valentine這個人持守著信仰, 一直到路終!


那美好的仗我已經打過了，當跑的賽程我已經跑盡了，當守的信仰我已經守住了；從此以後，有公義的冠冕為我存留，就是主，那公義的審判者，在那日要賞賜我的；不但賞賜我，也賞賜凡愛祂顯現的人。(提後4:7~8)

緣由:
每年的二月十四日是西洋情人節，又名「Valentine's Day 」，其實就是為了紀念一位叫 Valentine的人。故事的起源要追朔到西元三世紀的羅馬，當時羅馬執政的君主Claudius好大喜功，不懂勤政愛民，是有名的暴君。因當時羅馬內外戰爭頻繁，為了維繫既有的權勢，立於不敗之地，Claudius強迫境內所有年齡到達指定範圍的男子，必須加入羅馬軍隊協助作戰。為進一步防範軍人不專心戰鬥，Claudius還下令全國都不准舉行結婚典禮，即使已經訂了親的人，也要立即取消婚約。對於這樣的苛政，人民敢怒不敢言，私底下卻仍然抑制不了對愛情的渴望。所以當大家輾轉聽到有一位叫 Valentine的修士，願意義務為大家主持婚禮，都非常的興奮，千里迢迢遠自各處趕來請修士證婚。原來這位 Valentine修士，因不忍見到許多情侶因為暴政關係被迫分離，決定為大家秘密主持上帝的婚禮。但是消息很快就走漏到Claudius那兒，Claudius立即派人將 Valentine逮捕，關入大牢審問。由於 Valentine始終不肯屈服認錯，很快就被處死了，Valentine 去世的那一天，正好是西元二七零年二月十四日。悲傷的人們，將 Valentine安葬於羅馬的聖普拉大教堂，為了感念 Valentine勇敢抗爭的精神，人們也將每年的二月十四日定為Valentine的紀念日〈Valentine'sDay〉，象徵每個人都應該勇敢地追求愛情。
(來源)

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day,[1][2][3] is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.[1][3] The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 500 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.
(quoted from)