Quiz: Who is the saint in this holy card?

“Read” the holy card image and make your guess before you scroll down.

Hints:

Who is in the image?

Where are they?

Why are they there?

Does the image remind you of any biblical story or story from Catholic Tradition (saints, sacraments, etc.)?

Are there any symbols (colors, objects, shapes etc.) that give you more information?

Can you put it all together and make a case for who this is?

Thinking ….

Guessing ….

Okay. This is how I “read the image”:

Upon first glance, we see there are two people standing in front of a bishop. We know he’s a bishop because of his mitre (headpiece) and staff (used by bishops in ceremonial rites but also used in images simply to identify the person).

Based on his dress, the man in the image is a soldier of Rome. The woman is dressed in all white, which indicates purity and, in our modern culture, a bride.

The columns in the background indicate an ancient building such as a temple. The woman and man may be holding hands, and they are undeniably standing side by side. Perhaps the man and woman are a wedding couple.

But why is there an angel in the picture? The bishop is the one talking, so the angel isn’t there to deliver a message. We know angels appear in times of duress, but isn’t this a wedding scene? Why would there be duress? The faces of the couple don’t show unhappiness.

Taking a better look at the bishop, we see the faint circle of a halo, indicating that he is a canonized saint. His red cope (cape) may indicate martyrdom or passionate belief—or both. He is the reason for the image.

Now it’s clear. This is not a message about just any marriage; or more correctly, about just any bishop who presides over a marriage. This must be Saint Valentine, a bishop, who secretly presided over the marriages of Catholic couples–particularly soldiers–who were forbidden to marry under Roman law (duress). Mystery solved! (Also, Saint Valentine’s Day is this Sunday so you may have guessed I’d choose him for the quiz.)

Saint Valentine was tortured and beheaded on February 14th in the year 273. Do you know his story?

There are actually several reports of several different Valentines that lived near Rome at the time. One is that the Roman Emperor decreed that Christians could not marry Christians; he wanted all babies to be pagan. Another is that the Roman Emperor decreed that soldiers could not marry; he wanted their full loyalty and focus on him. Perhaps both were true.

What we do know, however, is that while Valentine was Bishop, he preached about the sanctity of marriage and love and that he did preside over secret wedding ceremonies. We know the Roman Emperor had him jailed, killed and buried in a common grave. We know the Catholic Church exhumed his body and buried it with the dignity, preserving his skull as a relic.

We also know that when Valentine was jailed, he either healed, converted, or responded to a letter from the jailer’s daughter–or all three of these. It is said that the night before his execution, he replied to a note the daughter had written him. He signed it “Your Valentine.” That is how the tradition of writing love notes asking someone to be ‘your Valentine’ began and continues today almost 2,000 years later.

Lent begins next Wednesday. I hope you’ve taken some time to think about your Lent, what you want to do for the symbolic 40 Days that will fill you with insight, joy, and even deeper love of God.

I will be offering a guided meditation with religious art on the Tuesdays and Thursdays of Lent. I pray you’ll join me. If you’re reluctant, remember its easy to follow, its colorful and rewarding. And if my virtual attendees feel moved to pray or record their impressions in the comments, it will be spectacular!

Stop by next Tuesday for a short introduction.

Your Victoria.