February 3rd will be the feast of St. Blaise.  Customarily in many churches there is a special blessing given on the feast and in honor of St. Blaise. 

We know very little about him other than that he was bishop of Sebaste in Armenia in the early years of the fourth century.  Legend expands upon the scant details, and tells the story of a distraught mother who hurried St. Blaise on his way to martyrdom with her little boy who had a fish bone lodged in his throat.  The Saint called for two candles, lit them, held them in the form of a cross, prayed over them and blessed the boy.  Immediately the bone was loosened and was removed.  Devotion to St. Blaise was very popular during the Middle Ages and continues to this day.

As we are conflicted during the winter season, we all want relief and protection from physical ailments of the throat—hoarseness,  choking, colds, cancer.  But through the blessing, we obtain protection and grace from spiritual diseases more harmful than physical illness.  We ask protection from these as well when we pray deliverance “from ailments of the throat and from any other evil.”  The spiritual ailments which are beyond the cure of the greatest throat specialist are the evils of unkind speech, choking, curses, gossip and gagging lies.

St. Paul has these in mind when he wrote to the Romans (3:13) quoting Psalm 5:11:  “Their throat is an open sepulcher.  With tongues they have dealt deceitfully.  The venom of asps is under their lips.  Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.  Such spiritual maladies are truly most dangerous, and harmful; for these, too, we want the intercession of St. Blaise to be “spiritually healed”.

As we ask to receive the blessing of St. Blaise after Masses (February 3, 4 and 5), pray for deliverance from both the physical and spiritual evils of throat and tongue.

-From Father Jerry