St. Blase
(d. 316)
We know more about the devotion to St. Blase by Christians
around the world than we know about the saint himself. His feast is observed as
a holy day in some Eastern Churches. In 1222, the Council of Oxford prohibited
servile labor in England on Blase’s feast day. The Germans and Slavs hold him
in special honor, and for decades many United States Catholics have sought the
annual St. Blase blessing for their throats.
We know that Bishop Blase was martyred in his episcopal city
of Sebastea, Armenia, in 316. The legendary Acts of St. Blase were
written 400 years later. According to them Blase was a good bishop, working
hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people. Although the
Edict of Toleration (311), granting freedom of worship in the Roman Empire, was
already five years old, persecution still raged in Armenia. Blase was
apparently forced to flee to the back country. There he lived as a hermit in
solitude and prayer, but he made friends with the wild animals. One day a group
of hunters seeking wild animals for the amphitheater stumbled upon Blase’s
cave. They were first surprised and then frightened. The bishop was kneeling in
prayer surrounded by patiently waiting wolves, lions and bears.
The legend has it that as the hunters hauled Blase off to
prison, a mother came with her young son who had a fish bone lodged in his
throat. At Blase’s command the child was able to cough up the bone.
Agricolaus, governor of Cappadocia, tried to persuade Blase
to sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blase refused, he was beaten. The
next time he was suspended from a tree and his flesh torn with iron combs or
rakes. (English wool combers, who used similar iron combs, took Blase as their
patron. They could easily appreciate the agony the saint underwent.) Finally,
he was beheaded.
Comment:
Four centuries give ample opportunity for fiction to creep in with fact. Who
can be sure how accurate Blase’s biographer was? But biographical details are
not essential. Blase is seen as one more example of the power those have who gives
themselves entirely to Jesus. As Jesus told his apostles at the Last Supper,
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and
it will be done for you” (John 15:7). With faith we can follow the lead of the
Church in asking for Blase’s protection.
Quote:
“Through the intercession of St. Blase, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you
from ailments of the throat and from every other evil. In the Name of the
Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Blessing of St. Blase)
Patron Saint of:
Throat ailments
source:http://www.americancatholic.org/
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