Feb 3 Blaise 316

Jack and Thom,
Good morning, I love you
110112, 1225

Ice still on the side streets. Schools closed. And the parish is “closed.” No Mass, no adoration tonight, no activities. Let’s all just cool it, be safe, wait for the ice to melt and the temps to stay above freezing for a couple of days in a row. … And, not only are the Hospitals talking care of the people needing care, Starbucks, Panera, and Jake’s diner are all opened. What’s the difference between a diner and a restaurant? At the diner the waitress calls you ‘sweetie’ and not sir.

What’s with putting the “rectory” off campus, separate from the Church, the school, and the ‘activity center?’ Rectory is, traditionally, the residence of the Pastor AND, on the ground floor, the parish office. Now, we’ve separated the priest from the Church and where all the parish ‘activities’ are happening. What’s that all about? It does create a disconnect, it does facilitate to making “priest” a job versus a vocation, it does make us more protestant.

Anyway, the first chance I had to go by the parish office to get a Mass card for my Godfather, the parish offices were locked up tight. BUT, there were about a half dozen cars lined up in front of the ‘staff entrance.’

Question. To whom do I mail the Mass card? Frank has four children, my cousins. I’m ‘close’ to two of them. Frank is also my father’s older brother. Do I send five cards? Ask for five Masses? [The first of which won’t be until several months. If the Mass is ameliorative for purgatory, does Frank have to wait until the parish can get his name on the calendar or does he get credit in advance?] Do my prayers for Frank help his swift ascent into the bosom of Abraham? I hope so. I believe so.

So I ask y’all, again, to pray for Frank, his brothers and sisters, his children and grandchildren and his greatgrand children. I found a postcard last night that I also hope will prompt your not only praying for Frank but also do the duty of good grandchildren – call Grandpa, up your frequency of contact in renewed awareness of his age and health: not to mention you duties as sons in the light of the death of your GrandGodfather. Ora pro nobis.


February 3
St Blaise d. 316ish
Patron of Throat Illnesses
Patron Saint of Wild Animals

We don’t know much about St Blaise. I do know that the rite of the blessing of our throats is one of my most memorable, ingrained in my psyche, rites of my Catholic piety. The blessing of the throat and our prayer to St. Blaise once a year for protection from the illnesses and injuries of the throat is as much a ‘necessity’ of my piety as holy days of obligation, whether or especially?, they are obligations any more. I feel like I would miss something in my piety if I did not go to Mass on Feb 3 and get my throat blessed; like I feel I’ve missed something, done a disservice of omission when I do not go to a first Friday or first Saturday Mass….

St Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia. St Blaise didn’t make it into Jerome’s martyrology but showed up soon after in other ‘records.’ Most of the accounts have his martyrdom in the reign of Licinius and were assimilated into veneration of the saint in the Church liturgy.

Both the encyclopedia and Angels and Saints remark that what we know about St Blaise’s life is more legend [tradition?] than verifiable fact. The legend of his life that sprang up in the eighth century tell us that he was born in to a rich and noble family who raised him as a Christian. I wish they’d share more of the Acta with us.

According to the legend Blaise was a physician at Sebaste before he was raised to the episcopal see. There are many routes to the priestly vocation. Or one to a religious order, even as a tertiary. Do not ever stop answering God’s call, “Here I am, Lord. What do you want of me?”

At the time of the persecution under Licinius he was taken prisoner at the command of the governor, Agricolaus. After becoming a bishop, a new persecution of Christians began. He received a message from God to go into the hills to escape persecution. Men hunting in the mountains discovered a cave surrounded by wild animals that were sick. Among them Blaise walked unafraid, curing them of their illnesses. Recognizing Blaise as a bishop, they captured him to take him back for trial.

So we gain a patron of wild animals. Go figure!
While in prison he performed a wonderful cure of a boy who had a fishbone in his throat and who was in danger of choking to death.

We have our English martyrs of recenter memory. But do not ever forget about the persecutions by the Romans of the early Christians. The Jews are not the only ones with claim on the “let us never forget.”

Recent statements by Benedict XIV remind us of the threats to Catholicism in our world today. The recent CNS online: Once again he denounced recent attacks on Christians in Iraq, Egypt and Nigeria and expressed concern about the recent renewal of Chinese government restrictions on Catholics there. Condemning the murder Jan. 4 of Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab in Pakistan, the pope said the country must overturn its blasphemy law, which makes insulting the Prophet Mohammed or the Quran punishable by death.

And: Discussing threats to full religious freedom in Western democracies, the pope expressed concern about efforts to push religion to the margins of public life and about situations in which citizens are denied the right to act in accordance with their religious convictions, "for example where laws are enforced limiting the right to conscientious objection on the part of health care or legal professionals." Not unlike Jack’s biology teacher prohibiting religion from an ethics paper?

After suffering various forms of torture St. Blaise was beheaded. Blaise became one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages. The actual reason for the unusual veneration has not yet been made clear. Wouldn’t it be great to understand what was it that made this saint popular then? Care to speculate? What was it about the Middle Ages – you remember them from history?
One ground was that according to the legend he was a physician and wonderful cures were ascribed to him; for this reason the faithful sought his help and intercession when ill. Numberless churches and altars were dedicated to him and many localities (Taranto, Ragusa, the Abbey of St. Blaise in the Black Forest, etc.) claimed to possess some of his relics. He was also one of the Fourteen Holy Martyrs.

Our collective piety turns us to the Saints we need for the intercessions that will help us with what we need most. In the Middle Ages, the medical profession was not as effective as they are today. Still, having a physician on our spiritual side in times of illness seems to be a worthwhile piety. Question: is a physician saint more able to intercede for our physical needs as any other saint?

May God at the intercession of St. Blaise preserve you from throat troubles and every other evil.

Saint Blaise, pray for us that we may not suffer from illnesses of the throat and pray that all who are suffering be healed by God's love. Amen

I love you,
Dad
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