Saint Blase Blessing

Saint Blase Blessing

by Kathy Luty

Sickness and suffering are mysteries that confront most Christians at some time in their lives. Believers cherish the stories of Jesus' tender concern for the poor and sick who sought to find relief and meaning in their struggles. The flesh-and-blood example of a long line of Christian witnesses whose faith sustained them in time of trial offers us hope when shadows darken our lives. Saint Blase was such a person.

Blase served as bishop of Armenia in the fourth century. Little is known about his life, but tradition tells us that he saved a small boy from choking on a fish bone. Because of this, his help is sought for those who are sick, especially those who are afflicted with illnesses of the throat. On February 3, the feast of Saint Blase, the church continues its ministry to the sick with the blessing of throats.

This blessing, which can take place either after the homily at Mass or as part of a liturgy of the word, invokes God's healing and protection. Two blessed candles, joined in the form of across, are placed around the throat of each person seeking a blessing. The minister then prays, "Through the intercession of Saint Blase, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Humbled by physical weakness and human limitations, we acknowledge our faith in God's protective love for all who call upon God's name.

Copyright C 1997 Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications.
1800 North Hermitage Avenue. Chicago IL 60622.1101 ; 1.800.933.
1800. Text by Kathy Luly. Art by Chuck Ludeke.

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