It’s A twofer! woo! hoo!
The Superbowl on Sunday night and Valentine’s Day on Monday. What a combination! There is nothing like watching twenty-two huge grown men beat up on each other for three hours to get you into a romantic mood.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in numerous countries around the world. There were several men named Valentine associated with the holiday at one point or another. Though its origin is vigorously debated, many believe that the holiday was initiated to commemorate St. Valentine, a priest in ancient Rome martyred in the fourth century by the emperor. Valentine aided persecuted Christians, which did not sit well with the king, so he removed his head. Now that’s romantic!
Another legend has Emperor Claudius II martyring two different Valentines; both killed on February 14th but in different years. One of the Valentines was imprisoned, and his jailor taunted him by telling the saint, “If you are a Christian, heal my daughter of blindness.” Valentine prayed the daughter’s sight was restored, and the guard converted to Christianity. He, too, was killed, but before he died, the priest wrote a letter to his daughter and signed it, “From your Valentine.” Remember that story when you sign your Valentine card to your sweetie.
Another romantic tale records Valentine defied the emperor’s edict that military men could not be married because unmarried soldiers fought more effectively. The saint continued to secretly marry couples until he was caught and subsequently murdered.
Romance at its best!
It wasn’t until the 1500s that Valentine cards came into being, but the new method of showing love proliferated. Today, Valentine's cards are second in sales only to Christmas cards, making Hallmark very happy.
When I was in grade school, I remember giving Valentine's cards to everyone in my class. We all prayed that our bags of cards were full because if not, it was terribly embarrassing and a blow to the ego. I’m still in counseling from this trauma.
In the Philippines, February 14th is the most common wedding anniversary date, and many mass wedding ceremonies take place every year. Men consider this a great blessing because it helps them not forget their anniversary, which is a definite damper on romance.
Another romantic fact is that Valentine was dismembered through the years, and his relics are displayed in churches throughout Europe. In one location, you can even view his skull wearing a crown. Why aren’t there pictures of that on Valentine cards?
So, this year is indeed exceptional in that we get to celebrate love two days in a row. Superbowl Sunday accompanies our sincere love of wings, pizza, cheese dip, and chili. According to Wikipedia, Americans eat roughly 28 million pounds of chips, 1.25 billion chicken wings, and 8 million pounds of guacamole during Super Sunday. We will woof down 12.5 million pizzas, so I suggest you place your order today. I’ll take pizza over a card any day! Who cares about football when you get to stuff your face with carbs and fat? The Superbowl is a gift from God because it provides the perfect excuse to explode your New Year’s resolution to lose weight. You don’t need to feel guilty since every red-blooded American is expected to participate in the foodfest. God bless America!
After bloating ourselves Sunday night on salty and savory, our sweet tooth comes out the next day when Americans will consume 58 million pounds of chocolate on Monday. Our love of food will carry over from Superbowl Sunday, making it time for dessert. Restaurants, which were empty last night, will be jam-packed with lovers demonstrating their affection by consuming steak, pasta, chicken, and seafood while staring intensely into one another’s eyes. Our tastes will be upgraded from Budweiser to sparkling wine on Valentine’s Day, when we will spend 8.6 million dollars on bubbly.
In all, Americans will spend 18.9 billion – yes, billion dollars on the romantic holiday. What says “I love you” more than going further into debt!
So much love we humans demonstrate revolves around meals. That may seem strange, but it is also very Biblical. Dozens of crucial moments in Scripture occur at mealtime, not the least of which is The Lord’s Supper. God tells us that the pinnacle of human existence will crescendo up to the banquet held at the marriage supper of the Lamb of God with His Church, and we are all invited. I hope you don’t turn down that invitation! Your RSVP is to simply put your trust in God and believe in the most excellent demonstration of love in the history of the universe – the life, death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.
So, while we watch the Bengals and Rams duke it out, eat up! You’ve got to get your stomach stretched for the love feast with your sweety on Monday.
Live Inspired!
Don Mark
