The Real Story Behind Valentine's Day

This Valentine’s Day you will probably either send or receive a Valentine from someone. More than a billion are expected to be given away in the United States alone. But just like many of our holidays, there’s a lot more behind it than just cards and gifts. There’s a true life story. It’s a story that teaches us a lot about the true meaning of love, sacrifice and commitment.

In the third century, the Roman Empire was ruled by Emperor Claudius II Gothicus. He was nicknamed Claudius the Cruel because of his harsh leadership and his tendency for getting into wars and abusing his people. In fact, he was getting into so many wars during the third century that he was having a difficult time recruiting enough soldiers.

Claudius believed that recruitment for the army was down because Roman men did not want to leave their loves or families behind, so he canceled all marriages and engagements in Rome. Thousands of couples saw their hopes of matrimony dashed by the single act of a tyrant. And no one seemed interested in standing up to the emperor.

But a simple Christian priest named Valentine did come forward and stood up for love. He began to secretly marry soldiers before they went off to war, despite the emperor’s orders. In 269 AD Emperor Claudius found out about the secret ceremonies. He had Valentine thrown into prison and deemed that he would be put to death.

As Valentine was awaiting execution, he fell in love with a blind girl, who happened to be the jailer’s daughter. On the eve of his execution, with no writing instruments available, Valentine is said to have written her a sonnet in ink that he squeezed from violets. Legend has it that his words made the blind woman see again. It was a brief romance because the next day Valentine was clubbed to death by Roman executioners.

St. Valentine gave his life so that young couples could be bonded together in holy matrimony. They may have killed the man, but not his spirit. Even centuries after his death, the story of Valentine’s self-sacrificing commitment to love was legendary in Rome. Eventually he was granted Sainthood and the Catholic Church decided to create a feast in his honor. They picked February 14 as the day of celebration because of the ancient belief that birds (particularly lovebirds, but also owls and doves) began to mate on that very day.

From: Mark Merryl - Family First

Modéstia Paranaense

Esse texto eu recebi de um amigo, paranaense é claro, e achei apropriado não somente para descrever o Paraná, mas também para demonstrar o que paanaenses (por nascimento, como eu, ou adotados) pensam do Paraná!

Estava num passeio em Roma quando, ao visitar a Catedral de São Pedro fiquei abismado ao ver uma coluna de mármore com um telefone de ouro em cima. Vendo um jovem padre que passava pelo local perguntei a razão daquela ostentação.

O padre então me disse que aquele telefone estava ligado a uma linha direta com o paraíso e que se eu quisesse fazer uma ligação eu teria de pagar 100 euros. Fiquei tentado porém declinei da oferta.

Continuando a viagem pela Itália encontrei outras igrejas com o mesmo telefone de ouro na coluna de mármore. Em cada uma das ocasiões perguntei a razão da existência e a resposta era sempre a mesma: Linha direta com o paraíso ao custo de 100 euros a ligação.

Depois da Itália, chegando ao Brasil, fui para o Parana. Ao visitar a Catedral Metropolitana, no centro da cidade de Curitiba, fiquei surpreso ao ver novamente a mesma cena: uma coluna de mármore com um telefone de ouro. Sob o telefone um cartaz que dizia: LINHA DIRETA COM O PARAÍSO - PREÇO POR LIGAÇÃO = R$ 0,25 (vinte e cinco centavos).

Não me agüentei, e perguntei: "Padre eu viajei por toda a Itália e em todas as catedrais que visitei vi telefones exatamente iguais a este, mas o preço da chamada era 100 euros. Por que aqui é somente R$ 0,25 centavos?" O Padre sorriu e disse: "Meu amigo, você está no Parana. Aqui a ligação é local."

O PARAÍSO É AQUI!