Another Thought About Marriage

You may have noticed that today is Valentine's Day, a day in which many people celebrate their love for the partner of their soul. Now I should clarify that. It is not actually Valentine's Day. It is Saint Valentine's Day.

In other words, it used to be a Feast Day for a Catholic Saint; a Christian holiday. Well, not a holiday as such, for if that were the case, then every day would be a holiday. But it is a feast day.

And why do I say "used to be"? I'm glad you asked, dear Reader. Back in 1969 the Roman Catholic Church redid the calendar of Saints, and it was decided to remove the Sainted Valentine from the roster of days. And this had nothing to do with Hallmark or American Greetings. Instead it had to do with the fact that "apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14."

Everything else is myth.

So why is today associated with love and romance? Good question. There are many possible reasons, but the most likely is a quote from Geoffrey Chaucer, o ye of Canterbury Tales fame. Way back in 1362, he wrote:

"For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make."

I love the olde Englishe. It reads like so much fun.

Now if I was the one reading this, I would presume that this would be a great day to make cheese, but it is not. What he actually said was that this was the day "when every bird came there to choose his mate". So romantic. (The cheese came later. And some of those Valentine's Day cards are really cheesy.)

As much fun as all this was, what does it have to do with me living my life as a Baha'i? You know, you're really on top of things today, dear Reader. Thanks for asking, again.

Here in Canada, the National Spiritual Assembly, in coordination with the national custom of celebrating Saint Valentine's Day as a day of romance, has asked all communities to have a deepening on the institution of marriage during this chilly month. (Hey, that may give some additional insight as to why this time of year was chosen for celebrating love.)

While I have written a few articles on marriage, love, selecting a partner, and so on (including one of my favorite articles about our life path), there are many other Baha'is who are far more specific in their work with the Faith. One friend, for example, seems to have dedicated her life to this particular aspect of the Teachings. She has a wonderful web-site filled with resources for Baha'is regarding marriage. (This is where I insert my world famous click here link.)

For now, I have to get my wife and drive her to work. This is one of my lover-ly duties today, and I will do it with great joy. But I just wanted to make sure to wish you a happy day this morning, and say I hope your day is filled with love and joy, as I am sure my own will be.