The Blessing of the Throats and St. Blaise

Today the priests blessed our throats with blessed candles -- a very strange tradition, I thought. I didn't know who St. Blaise was and why he blessed candles and then placed them on peoples throat so that they would have good health. But, hey, God can do anything, right? So, I went up to the altar and got blessed with two candles on my throat today -- a first for me. A strange thing happened when I was there receiving the blessing -- I felt the Holy Spirit fill me completely and bring peace, joy, and comfort to my heart. Isn't God good? He can do anything He wants -- even bless us with candles.
Who is St. Blaise you may ask?

St. Blaise was a physician who became the bishop of a city called Sabastea in what is now Turkey in the latter part of the third century. He died as a martyr for the faith in AD 316 and from soon after his death, he was hailed and venerated as a saint.

Few details are known about St. Blaise. According to tradition, he lived a life of prayer and fasting in a cave just outside of Sabastea. It is said that he healed injured animals and that the sincerity of his faith served as a great inspiration for all who knew him.

One very old story about this holy bishop was that, through his intercession, God miraculously healed a young boy who had a fish bone stuck in his throat. For this reason, the prayers of St. Blaise have long been invoked for those threatened by or suffering from injuries and illnesses of the throat.

Remember: Catholic traditions such as the blessing of the throats are venerable and are a wonderful part of our faith. But they aren't acts of superstition. We should approach this and all "cool Catholic traditions" as an important part of our Catholic patrimony (something that we have inherited and must pass on) that draws us prayerfully closer to our Lord and to his Church.

Happy St. Blaise's Day!