THE LEGEND OF ST. VALENTINE
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St. Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs who were suffering persecution under Claudius the II, emporer of Rome. Saint Valentine was apprehended and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who upon finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith in effectual, commended him to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards, to be beheaded, which was carried out on February 14th, in the year 270. Pope Julius I is said to have built a church near Ponte Mole to his memory, which was known as "Porta Valetini" and is now called "Porta del Popolo". The largest portion of St. Valentine's relics are now kept in the church of St. Praxedes. St. Valentine is celebrated as an honored martyr of the faith in the sacramentary of St. Gregory in Rome Italy.
One legend states that while awaiting his execution, St. Valentine restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. Another legend says, on the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine..." Since this note
was written on the day St. Valentine died, February 14, 269 A.D. it is believed that his note started the current day custom of exchanging Love notes and messages on Valentine's Day.
St. Valentine is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, romantic greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, travellers and young people. He is usually represented in pictures with birds and roses.
I hope this modest presentation will be a blessing to you...
May the Blessings Be... Michael AngelOh
VALENTINES DAY HISTORY & TRADITIONS
Transliterated by: "Michael AngelOh"
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Generally speaking, a consensus of the definition of Saints is, "People who, by their joyful service, have extended the love of God to others". The list of the saints officially honored by the church, contains over 10,000 names and those are only the saints we know of.
In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine. Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron "Saint of Lovers". St. Valentines Day is usually celebrated by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers or candy to friends and romantic interests.
In the United States, Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first valentine card. Commercial valentines cards were introduced in the 1800's and now this date is highly commercialised but as in any holiday, it's the individuals intention that gives it the greatest meaning and purpose. The spirit of goodness continues as valentines are sent out with sentimental and romantic poems or verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.
Hundreds of years ago in England, children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day and went singing from home to home. The popular verse they sang was:
Good morning to you, valentine,
Curl your locks as I do mine
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine...
In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart..!"
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him. Some people believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.
A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman with her wide dress. As it evolved, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together, but not too closely..!
Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry. As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.
Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.
If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.
Please consider sharing this message with others...
May the Blessings Be... Michael AngelOh
CELEBRATING THE SAINTS HISTORICAL ORIGINS
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Christians have been honoring their saints and martyrs since at least the second century AD. The Martyrdom of Polycarp, written near the middle of the second century, attests to this historical fact. Initially the calendars of saints and martyrs varied from location to location, and many times local churches honored their own local saints, however gradually feast days became more accepted and universal. The first reference to a general feasts
"Celebrating All Saints" occurs in St Ephrem the Syrian AD 373 and St. John Chrysostom AD 407 and are assigned as a day to the feast, and in the Eastern Churches the feast is celebrated to this day. In the West, this celebration feast date was eventually moved to May with the current day observance taking place on November 1st originating from the time of Pope Gregory III. AD 741
In the celebration of the Saints we are petitoned to acknowledge the presence of the Saints and ask them to pray for us in the memory of our dearly departed Souls leading to their continued care in the Communion of Saints. Every evening prayers are said for the beloved souls while blessed candles burn out of respect and honor for the holy souls.
ST. VALENTINE PRAYER
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St. Valentine's Day Prayer
Preparation:
To begin your St. Valentine's Day Prayer, sit in a quiet place where you will be undistracted and undisturbed for a 5-10 minute period. If you already have a prayer or meditation altar, place some colorful flowers preferrably in full bloom on you're altar. If you do not have such a place set-up then you can use a simple table or chair to place you're flowers upon along with whatever objects or items you find to be inspiring or uplifting in nature. Perhaps a card or picture of an Angel or best of all a photo of some one or a group of persons you Love...
Focus on this special Prayer time to reflect on the words in the Prayer posted below as well as you're concentration on increasing the Love, Care and Compassion in your life. This focus on Goodness magnified is the goal in making Valentine's Day or any day a more beautiful Loving Day...
The Prayer of St. Valentine
Dear Lord, who art high in the Heavens,
Giver of Love and Passion,
And He who strings the heart�s cords,
Lead the Lovers this day,
February ten plus four.
The day during the month of two,
When the date is the perfect number of God
Greater two souls and two hearts...
Some Loves are fleeting ,
But that which is built on you,
will never fail.
So guide the Lovers to know what is to be.
Your truths the Lovers� mouths should speak,
For Your truth is that
which is honest to the heart.
Only this then, should pass
over the red lips of the Lovers...
Your art, the Lovers simply a medium.
It is only with True Hearts
that You can create a Masterpiece,
So let the Lovers remember
that their Soul�s Desire,
Is the one for which You light their Fire.
And let it be You,
who creates the Art of the Lovers.
The art of two into one. Amen...
LOVE POEMS FOR VALENTINES DAY
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Presented here is a beautiful and romantic collection of my very favorite "Valentine's Day Poems". They can be used in creating "Romantic Valentine messages" for you're "Valentines Day Cards" for friends or you're beloved one.
May you're Lovelife be expanded accordingly... Michael AngelOh
Valentine's Day Love Poem
by Elizabeth Barret Browning
How Do I Love Thee..? Let me count the ways
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being an ideal Grace...
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise...
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the Breath
Smiles, tears, of all my life..! and, if God choose
I shall but love thee better after death...
Unending Love
by Rabindranath Tagore
I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times...
In life after life, in age after age, forever.
My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs,
That you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms,
In life after life, in age after age, forever...
Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, it's age old pain,
It's ancient tale of being apart or together.
As I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge,
Clad in the light of a pole-star, piercing the darkness of time.
You become an image of what is remembered forever...
You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount.
At the heart of time, love of one for another.
We have played along side millions of lovers,
Shared in the same shy sweetness of meeting,
the distressful tears of farewell,
Old love but in shapes that renew and renew forever...
Beautiful Dreamer
by Stephen Foster
Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee,
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away..!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody,
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng.
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me..!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me..!
Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,
Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelie,
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn...
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea,
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me..!
VALENTINE SAYINGS
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Here I have posted some "Valentine Sayings" one-liners that you can write in your "Romantic Valentines Day Messages" or "Valentines Day Cards".
May you're Lovelife expand exceedingly... Michael AngelOh
I Love Loving You, Loving Me, Loving You...
I can always be myself when I am with you...
Your idea of romance is dimlights, softmusic, and just the two of us...
Because you make me feel like I have never felt before...
I can share anything with you...
Your undying faith is what keeps the flame out of love alive...
You and me together, keep the magic alive...
We're a perfect match made in Heaven...
Thinking of you, fills me with warm wonderful feelings...
Your love always lets me know, that the best is yet to be...
You're love always brings out the best in me...
You'll always hold the key to my heart...
You always say exactly what I need to hear...
You have taught me the true meaning of Love...
You mean the World to me...
You are the theme, of my Love dream...
I have had the time of my life and I owe it all to you...
I love to hear your voice, and see your face...
I love waking up with you by my side...
You make me want to be, the best I can be...
You always stand by my side no matter what comes along...
I love the feeling of being loved when you wrap your arms around me...
I love how much you always show that you care...
I treasure the simple gift of Being together with you...
I love the kiss and make-up part the best...
I know I'm pretty intelligent,
because I was smart enough to fall in love with you...
VALENTINE QUOTES
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"Tis better to have loved and lost,
than to have never loved at all..."
Tennyson
"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired..."
Robert Frost
"Love is not finding someone to live with,
it's finding someone you can't live without..."
Rafael Ortiz
"Loving is not just looking at each other,
it's looking in the same direction..."
Antoine de Saint
"True love stories never have endings..."
Richard Bach
"Who, being loved, is poor..?"
Oscar Wilde
"At the touch of love and heart, everyone becomes a poet..."
Plato
"To expand my heart size ten times over,
still would never do,
To hold all the Love
I have in my heart for you..."
Michael AngelOh
"Think about it, there must be higher Love
Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above
Without it, life is a wasted time
Look inside your heart, I'll look inside mine..."
Steve Winwood
"Love is a game that two can play
and both win by loosing their heart...
Eva Gabor
"Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life..."
Leo Buscaglia
"Love is a sweet tyranny,
because the lover endureth his torments willingly..."
Proverb
"Love is an act of endless forgiveness,
a tender look which becomes a habit..."
Peter Ustinov
"If music be the food of love, play on..."
Shakespeare
"To the world you might be one person,
but to one person you might be the world..."
Unknown
"It is never too late to fall in love..."
Sandy Wilson
"Where there is love, there is life..."
Mahatma Gandhi
"The heart has its reasons,
which reason does not know..."
Pascal
"Take away love and our earth is a tomb..."
Robert Bro
"Why is it when you love someone so much,
that you can never find the right words to tell them..?"
alb to Justin
"A mother's love for her child
is like nothing else in the world.
It knows no law, no pity,
it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly
all that stands in its path..."
Agatha Christie
"You have to walk carefully
in the beginning of love
the running across fields into your lover's arms
can only come later
when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip..."
Jonathan Carroll
"Life without love is like
a tree without blossom and fruit..."
Khalil Gibran
"Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be..."
Robert Browning
"Love, a terribly misunderstood emotion,
although highly desirable malfunction of the hear
which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle,
cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise
and the lips to pucker..."
Unknown
"It's not the men in my life that count,
it's the life in my men..."
Mae West
"One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory..."
Rita Mae Brown
"Love doesn't grow on trees like apples in Eden
it's something you have to make.
And you must use your imagination too..."
Joyce Cary
"One advantage of marriage, it seems to me,
is that when you fall out of love with him,
or he falls out of love with you,
it keeps you together
until maybe you fall in again..."
Judith Viorst
"For you see, each day I love you more
Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow..."
Rosemonde Gerard
"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind..."
William Shakespeare, Mid-Summer Night's Dream
"But to see her was to love her,
Love but her, and love for ever..."
Robert Burns
"Give me a thousand kisses,
then a hundred, then a thousand more..."
Catullus
VALENTINE QUOTES by William Shakespeare
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"They do not love that do not show their love..."
William Shakespeare
"The course of true love never did run smooth..."
William Shakespeare
"So long as I can breathe or I can see
so long lives your love which gives life to me..."
William Shakespeare
"When you depart from me sorrow abides,
and happiness takes his leave..."
William Shakespeare
"Love from one side hurts,
but love from two sides heals..."
William Shakespeare
"Love looks not with eyes, but with the mind..."
William Shakespeare
"A friend is one who knows who you are,
understands where you have been,
accepts what you have become,
and still gently allows you to grow..."
William Shakespeare
"So dear I love him that with him,
all deaths I could endure.
Without him, live no life..."
William Shakespeare
"When I saw you I fell in love,
and you smiled because you knew..."
William Shakespeare
"Love is the most beautiful of dreams
and the worst of nightmares..."
William Shakespeare
"What's in a name..?
That which we call a rose by any other name
would smell as sweet..."
William Shakespeare
"I'll follow you and make a heaven out of hell,
and I'll die by your hand which I love so well..."
William Shakespeare
( click image to enlarge )
A Catholic Prayer in Praise of the Saints
Unknown author, 10th century
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How shining and splendid are your gifts, O Lord
which you give us for our eternal well-being
Your glory shines radiantly in your saints, O God
In the honour and noble victory of the martyrs.
The white-robed company follow you,
bright with their abundant faith;
They scorned the wicked words
of those with this world's power.
For you they sustained
fierce beatings, chains, and torments,
they were drained by cruel punishments.
They bore their holy witness to you
who were grounded deep within their hearts;
they were sustained by patience and constancy.
Endowed with your everlasting grace,
may we rejoice forever
with the martyrs in our bright fatherland.
O Christ, in your goodness,
grant to us the gracious heavenly realms of eternal life. |
