The saint we celebrate today, Blaise, was possibly a bishop martyred in one of the earliest persecutions of the Church. He seems to have been martyred in Armenia which later became the first Christian country in the world in the early fourth century. Little else is known for certain about him.
But he is well known, at least by older Catholics, because of the rite that is associated with his feast day and is still common in this country – the blessing of throats. This is done with two crossed candles which are placed against the neck while the priest invokes the protection of Saint Blaise against all ailments of the throat.
It’s an ancient practice and one that we would do well to cherish. Our faith is not just cerebral – it involves our bodies too. This feast reminds us of that, just as yesterday’s feast of Candlemas did. We live in a material world, we are material people, we are body as well as soul. And God uses the material through sacraments and sacramentals – which is what this blessing is – to remind us that we believe in the resurrection of the body.
May St Blaise and all the saints pray for us to rejoice in that fact.
