ash wednesday & St. Valentine's day

Today starts our 40 day journey with the Lord in this special season of prayer, fasting, almsgiving and penitence as we prepare to celebrate Easter. It's also Valentine's Day. There have been a few St. Valentine's in the church's history but my favourite is the story of a priest, martyred in 269 AD for marrying Christian couples, so he was imprisoned by the emperor Claudius II. Claudius came to like the priest, until he tried to convert him to Christianity, so he had him beaten and beheaded. But while in prison St. Valentine fell in love with his jailor's blind daughter and he cured her of her blindness before he was taken away. In a note he left behind he encouraged her to maintain her faith in God, and is was simply signed "from your Valentine".

Have a very blessed Lenten season!