These excerpts are from a daily reader (The Key Essentials to Balance) that follow the Gregorian calendar. This series of love is from the month of February and today's post falls on February 14, which inspired the topic.
While the Catholic Church recognized a few different saints named Valentine, one of the recited accounts is that a priest secretly conducted marriage ceremonies for couples after Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men seeking marraige (based on the idea that single men performed better as soldiers). Valentine’s secret ceremonies were eventually discovered, and Claudius ordered his execution on February 14 around 240 A.D.
The first recorded marriage took place in Mesopotamia in 2350 B.C. It wasn’t until 1563 A.D. that the Catholic Church canonized marriage as a sacrament (over 1,300 years after Valentine’s death).
The evolution of marriage has continued to transform to this day. While marriages served as a legal entity that granted the transference of a woman’s ownership from a father to a husband, it has only been in the last 100 years that women have gained increasing equality in marriage, property ownership and rights. It has only been in the last few years that marriage between same sex partners have achieved recognition and protected rights in some places.
No matter the legal entity or condition, something about the dignity of love has continued in spite of external attempts to control its enduring nature.
Inspiration for the Day: “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate." —Geoffrey Chaucer
Note: This is an ongoing series to help provide support during these challenging times. These daily readings are part of an overall book on balance, which includes 12 essentials for maintaining balance to support resilience and your best self. The 12 essentials include mind, body, love, service, self, family, intimacy, purpose, environment/living space, nature, social relations, and spirit. This series is sharing 30 days of lessons about love. It will examine multiple aspects of love and provide knowledge and inspiration for hearts to heal and love to flow. It is designed as a daily reader to allow time to reflect, process and incorporate.
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