Feb 3 St Blaise, today

Thom and Jack,
Good Morning, I love you
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Today is the feast of Saint Blaise – the blessing of the throats: with a final punchline “and all diseases. Amen.” We all pray for freedom from disease, illness, injury, any and all disabilities. Today is the day we get a blessing praying to St. Blaise to intercede for us.


Responsorial Psalm, Ps 48:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 9, 10-11

R. O God, we ponder your mercy within your temple.

< On this day of our prayer for freedom from all disease, we ponder God’s mercy here in Church. All diseases. Of the heart and mind and soul as well as the body. Ora pro me. … I saw today at Mass the father of one of my third graders. He had been very sick starting around Christmas – putting no small pall over the family’s holydays. I was rewarded to see the family rally around him and the extended family rally around them and the community rally around them. Within God’s temple, the miracles of healing come in many ways. >

As your name, O God, so also your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Of justice your right hand is full.

< Reading poetry is a skill. The poet moves words around to make our mind pay closer attention. To make us take an extra moment to digest the words and cipher the meaning. As God’s name reaches the ends of the earth, so also will His praise. The only way God’s name gets anywhere is for us to bring His name – including his healing. To the extent that we bring God’s name with us, so too will God be praised – not us, but God. >


Gospel Mk 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.

< There are unclean spirits per se and, at the time, there was the belief that unclean spirits were the cause of disease et al. So Jesus sent the Twelve out to heal. A fitting Gospel for the feast of St. Blaise. >

He said to them, “Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.”

< We are sent forth to do God’s work, to bring His name, to show to the world our duty to praise Him. And to keep moving, don’t pick a fight, plant the seed, let the next Apostle come and renew the effort. >

So they went off and preached repentance.

< The source of our healing is repentance. Diseases, illnesses, how more starkly can we be reminded that we are not the masters of the universe, not even the masters of ourselves. Repent. Put yourself in the position with God that mimics this morning’s prayer to St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, to protect us against all illnesses of the throat and all other diseases. >

The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

< Let us too drive out demons – from ourselves, from our family, from our friends. Let us anoint the sick with our holy oil so that we and they may be cured. Body, mind, spirit, and heart. >

I love you,
Dad
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