Feast of St. Blaise and the Blessing of the Throats


Today is the feast of St. Blaise, the day when we, as Catholics, participate in the beautiful tradition of having our throats blessed. To do this, the priest consecrates two candles, generally by a prayer, and then holds each in a crossed position on the throat of the person being blessed. At the same time the following blessing is given: "Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, 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. Amen."

I have always enjoyed this day, not only because it is the time of year when I am more prone to sore throats, but it shows how the Church is truly concerned with the bodily needs of the person as well as the spiritual needs.

Why does this blessing of the throat take place on the feast of St. Blaise? St. Blaise, a physician and bishop, asked God to cure a child who was choking to death on a fish bone and the child's life was saved. Thus, St. Blaise is the patron saint of healthy throats.

Prayer to Saint Blaise

Dear bishop and lover of souls, you willingly bore heavy crosses in faithful imitation of Jesus. Similarly, with Christ-like compassion you cured many sufferers. Then after undergoing horrible torture, you died as a martyr for Christ. Obtain a cure for these {describe the afflictions} ills if this is agreeable to God. Amen.


-

Comments

  1. jasper2/5/09, 5:34 AM

    What's the deal on St. Blaise these days? I wanted to have my throat blessed on Tuesday but could not b/c my parish limited blessing throats to after the 9am mass. Has the RC church deemphasised this practice?

    ReplyDelete
  2. StBlog2/6/09, 8:19 AM

    Posted on OSV Daily: the Book of Blessings (Roman Ritual):
    QUOTE
    1634. A lay minister, touching the throat of each person with the crossed candles and, without making the sign of the cross, says the prayer of blessing.

    Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, 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.

    Each person responds:
    R. Amen.

    And before you take issue with the idea of just anyone serving as a "lay minister," be assured that the Book of Blessings states clearly that "other laymen and laywomen, in the virtue of the universal priesthood, a dignity they possess because of their baptism and confirmation," may perform certain blessings, including this one. The book specifically cites parents acting on behalf of their children, so I'm in the clear. ENDQUOTE

    ReplyDelete
  3. jasper2/6/09, 5:02 PM

    Dear StBlog: I am a lay minister so I do not take issue in the least. I was disappointed that the ritual does not seem as important as it once used to-and I can't bless my own throat(?).
    jasper

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jean Heimann2/7/09, 12:15 AM

    Hi St. Blog!

    I love people like you who come to another person's blog (their home) to try to prove how "superior" they are to the blogger by pointing out minut imperfections that are totally ridiculous. It's like entering someone's house and trying to start an argument over something as nit picky as the dust they have in the room. LOL!

    Do I detect a hint of jealousy?

    I'll say a "Hail Mary" for you, dear one. :)

    God bless you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous2/7/09, 2:53 PM

    I don't believe anyone here is a cannon lawyer. I do know that there are several different "rites" within the Cathlic Church.

    The only ones I have seen administer this blessing is a Priest or a Deacon. I don't know anything about lay ministers performing this blessing. Jasper, Maybe you could enlighten us.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated and are published at the blogger's discretion.

Blog Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi

Image
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the
Read more

Saint Michael de Sanctis: Patron of Cancer Patients

Image
Today is the feast of Saint Michael de Sanctis, also known as St. Michael of the Saints, a Spanish Discalced Trinitarian priest, the patron of cancer patients. Michael Argemir was born on September 29, 1591 at Vic, Catalonia, Spain. At age 6, he told his parents that he planned to become a monk and began modeling his life after Saint Francis of Assisi. Michael’s parents died when he was about ten years old. He then served as an apprentice with a local merchant. During this apprenticeship, he continued his fervent devotion to the Lord, especially to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the age of 12, he joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona, taking his vows at St. Lambert’s monastery in Saragosa four years later.  Shortly afterwards, Michael expressed a desire to join the reformed group of Trinitarians and was given permission to do so. He went to the Novitiate at Madrid and, after studies at Seville and Salamanca, he was ordained a priest. Twice he served as Superior of the hou
Read more

Saint Gerard of Brogne: Patron of Abbots

Image
St. Gerard was born to a noble family in Staves, Belgium, in 895. He descended from a royal line of military men and at first felt a share in this call to arms. He trained for the army and, as a page of the count of Namur, he was sent on a special mission to the French court. There, Gerard realized that he was being called to the monastic life. He stayed in France and joined the Benedictines of St. Denis, abandoning his noble birthright and all his worldly possessions. He spent eleven years in France as a monk before becoming a priest. Following his ordination, he left for Belgium in order to found a new abbey on his own estate of Brogne. He was its abbot for twenty-two years and during that period was instrumental in introducing St. Benedict's Rule into numerous houses in Flanders, Lorraine and Champagne.He became known for his engaging sweetness of temper, his strict observance of the Rule of St. Benedict and for the replacement of lukewarm religious practice with true piety.
Read more