The Feast of Saint Blaise
The Feast of Saint Blaise
February 3rd Readings Reflection: Optional Memorial of Saint Blase, bishop and martyr
Today is the feast of Saint Blaise, a bishop who gave his life for the Faith in the 4th century. He is the patron saint against throat illnesses, and the Church celebrates his feast each year by blessing the throats of the faithful. This blessing finds its roots in two pious tales surrounding the death of the saint.
According to tradition, St. Blaise was being taken to jail for his Christian Faith when a woman brought her only son to him. The boy was choking on a fish bone and nearing death, but St. Blaise healed him. Another story recounts how a holy woman brought St. Blaise two wax candles to illuminate his dark cell while he was imprisoned. Because of these traditions, the Church uses two unlighted candles in the blessing of throats on the feast of St. Blaise.1
Today’s Gospel quotes Our Lord’s words to the eleven Apostles before His Ascension, when He gave them the commission to spread the Gospel. Jesus told His Apostles, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Some people erroneously interpret this passage to mean that Baptism is all that is necessary for salvation. Once we are baptized, they claim, we can go through life knowing that no matter what, we are saved because of our Baptisms.
This is a false and dangerous belief to hold. Baptism (either of water, blood, or desire) is necessary in order to receive sanctifying grace in our souls; without Baptism, our souls remain spiritually dead through Original Sin and cannot attain eternal salvation. However, we are not guaranteed salvation simply because we have been baptized. Our lives are a constant battle against temptation and the forces of evil, and we fall into sin over and over again.
When we do fall into sin, Christ has given us the Sacrament of Penance by which we may receive His mercy and the remission of all our sins committed after Baptism. The Church encourages us to receive this Sacrament often, as we often commit sin as fallen human beings. The courageous witness and martyrdom of St. Blaise should inspire us to continually pray for the grace to remain faithful to the unchanging Truth and repent of our sins as often as we commit them. May we never presume of our salvation but instead continually implore God’s mercy and grace, so that we may remain always faithful to Him and one day merit eternal salvation.
St. Blaise, ora pro nobis!
“St. Blaise,” at Catholic Online, www.catholic.org.