Be My Valentine

Be My  Valentine

O, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind.

— Henri F. Amiel

The legend of St. Valentine goes back to the early days of Christianity when Christians were being persecuted by the Romans. One Christian, Valentinus, was tried as a heretic and sentenced to death. In prison, Valentinus befriended a guard who respected his wisdom, and soon the guard brought his seven-year-old blind daughter, Julia, to Valentinus for lessons. Daily, the two talked of important things, and Julia developed a deep love and respect for her mentor. One day Julia asked him, “Valentinus, do you think I will ever be able to see? ”

Valentinus thought for a moment and answered, “With love in your heart and belief in God, anything is possible, Julia. ”

At that moment, Julia was overtaken with a flash of light, and suddenly her eyesight was restored. “Valentinus, I can see! ” the child shouted.

“Praise be to God, ” he humbly answered.

The next day when Julia came to visit Valentinus, he was gone. He had been taken to his execution. Julia found this note:

My Dear Julia,

Although we shall never see each other again, know
that I will always love you. You are very dear to me. I will
stay unseen by your side, and I will live in your heart. I
believe in you.

Your Valentine