FEBRUARY 14TH

St. Valentine's Story

 

My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one!

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. This made Claudius furious. So, he thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I certainly wasn't going to support that law!

I was a priest and one of my favorite activities was to marry couples. I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. They think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!

 

 

Questions:

 

  1. ……………………………………….?

Yes, he did.

 

2.   …………………………………………?

No, he didn’t.

 

  1. Where did people throw flowers?

…………………………………………….

 

  1. ………………………………………...?

No, Claudius wasn’t.

 

  1. Were Claudius and Valentine friends?

…………………………………………..

 

 

… … … Have a happy Valentine!!!

E-mail me your right answers at jorgeeliecerloaiza@casdquindio.edu.co before February 16th, 2009 and if you are  the first student you'll get an E !!!