The Roman priest Valentine and the Byzantine brothers Cyril and Methodius served the Lord in different centuries and in different regions of the world. All three are associated with each other for a simple reason - their commemorations fall on the same day. The details of Valentine’s life are vague. It is said that he was a priest in Rome during the hostile reign of Emperor Claudius II. Valentine was arrested for performing Christian weddings and his judge asked that he prove the truth of Jesus. Valentine responded by healing the judge’s daughter of her blindness. The judge and his family converted to Christianity, but Valentine was condemned to death by higher magistrates. Before his execution, Valentine sent a final note of blessing to the judge’s daughter, “from your Valentine.” This note supposedly inspired the common greetings exchanged on Valentine’s Day. Six centuries later, the brothers Cyril and Methodius left the comforts of the Byzantine Empire and journeyed into the dangerous lands of the pagan Slavs, preaching the good news of God’s love. Their heroic missionary work involved creating a writing system for the Slavic language. “Cyrillic script” (named after Cyril) is widely used in Eastern Europe to this day and was instrumental in making the Word of God available in Slavic lands. Today, Cyril and Methodius are remembered as spiritual fathers to the Slavic peoples and founders of the modern Slavic languages.

Almighty God, you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses: Grant that we, encouraged by the good example of your servants, may persevere in running the race that is set before us, until at last, with them, we attain to your eternal joy; through Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who lives and reigns with you the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Art & history by Ben Lansing

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