The stand-up comedian Rodney Dangerfield got a lot of mileage and presumably money from the phrase "I don't get no respect!' I wonder if he stole the line from St. Valentine. While romantic love is wonderful, this 3rd century Roman martyr still gets the cred in terms of his name, yet his story has all but disappeared from our appreciation of the day.
Here is Malcolm Guite's sonnet in honour of Valentine.
Why should this martyr be the saint of love?
A quiet man of unexpected courage,
A celibate who celebrated marriage,
An ageing priest with nothing left to prove,
He loved the young and made their plight his cause.
He called for fruitfulness, not waste in wars,
He found a sure foundation, stood his ground,
And gave his life to guard the love he’d found.
Why should this martyr be our Valentine?
Perhaps because he kept his covenant,
Perhaps because, with prayer still resonant,
He pledged the Bridegroom’s love in holy wine,
Perhaps because the echo of his name
Can kindle love again to living flame.
Don't interrupt the romance folks, but we can all pay our respects to Valentine today.
Silence, Seeing, and Birds in today's Groundling blog
https://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.com/2019/02/silence-seeing-and-birds.html
Lovers in Grey Marc Chagall
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