February 3 2025 - St. Blaise - May the Lord deliver you

 

I remember one year, a school teacher joking that every after the annual St Blaise throat blessing she would get some sort of sore throat. And I would joke back, just think how bad the sore throat would have been without the blessing! And consider this: do you have a sore throat right now?” “No” she answered. “Then God delivered you from the illness, just as we prayed”.

“Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, may the Lord deliver you from every disease of the throat.” 

Deliverance is a common message in scripture. In the Book of Exodus, God delivers his people from slavery. Through his chosen instrument, the young shepherd boy, David, God delivered his people from the Philistines, when David slew Goliath. God delivered Daniel from the Lion’s Den. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were delivered from the fiery furnace. 

In his own public ministry, the Lord Jesus delivered countless people from illness and demon possession. He rescued the apostles from the terrible storm on the sea of Galilee, and the multitude of people from hunger when he multiplied the fish and loaves. God delivered Paul and Silas from prison, and sent an angel to deliver Peter and the apostles from prison as well. 

Notice, that in each case God’s people are already suffering: Daniel is in the lion’s den, the paralytic is already paralyzed, Peter is already in prison. 

Rather than shielding us from all suffering, God chooses to deliver us from our suffering to help us draw closer to him, to recognize that He is our salvation. 

This is most evident in our salvation in Christ. In our sinful state, we are to recognize that Jesus Christ alone is our salvation. The life of faith begins when we recognize that. We are lost without him. Lord, deliver us. 

He even taught us to pray, “deliver us from evil”. In the course of this life, we will continue to experience many forms of suffering and evil. But we learn to turn to God in those times to deliver us, to provide the help that can only come from Him. In this way, God has transformed our suffering into an avenue of grace, growth, and salvation.

May we form that habit of turning to the Lord for help in all of our troubles, especially our sinfulness, opening our minds and hearts to his grace, and experiencing the transformation he desires for us, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church: That she may faithfully proclaim Christ as our Deliverer, leading all people to trust in His power to set us free from sin and every form of spiritual bondage. Let us pray to the Lord…

For all who hold public office: That they may follow God’s example of deliverance by working tirelessly to liberate the oppressed, promote justice, and protect the vulnerable in society. Let us pray to the Lord…

For those enduring trials and hardships: That they may never lose hope but turn to the Lord in their suffering, trusting in His saving hand to deliver, strengthen, and transform them. Let us pray to the Lord…

For our members of our parish: That we may be instruments of God’s mercy, offering prayers and support for those who suffer, and bearing witness to the power of God to deliver and save. Let us pray to the Lord…

For the sick and suffering, especially those with ailments of the throat: Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, may the Lord grant them healing, relief from pain, and renewed strength of body and spirit. Let us pray to the Lord…

For the faithful departed: That they may be delivered from every bond of sin and welcomed into the fullness of life and peace in God’s eternal kingdom, especially N. Let us pray to the Lord…

God our Deliverer, You have shown Your mighty power throughout history, rescuing Your people from danger, sickness, and sin. Hear our prayers this day. Help us to turn to You with unwavering faith in times of trial, that we may always experience Your transforming grace. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

February 3 2023 - St. Blaise - Blessing of throats

 

St. Blaise was a saintly bishop and martyr in the early Church, for this alone he can be honored by the Church. But his notoriety as patron saint of illnesses of the throat came about when he healed a boy who had fish bones stuck in his throat and near death. After this healing miracle, the Bishop was imprisoned because of the Christian persecution.  The boy’s mother brought him food and candles while he was in prison.  This is why candles are used in the throat blessing.

So, after the final blessing of Mass today, you may come up to receive a personal blessing of your throat if you wish.

It is quite fitting though, isn’t it, that we bless throats? This time of the year our throats are susceptible to coughs and colds. The throat is susceptible to other illnesses, some very debilitating and even deadly.

We rightly ask God’s protection of our throats especially for the special role our throats play in our Christian life. We are to use our throats to sing God’s praises every day. We are to use our throats to give encouragement to each other in remaining faithful to Christ. We are to use our throats to spread his Gospel—to build up the Church by proclaiming Christ’s truth.

Scripture, more than once, gives a warning to those whose throats are an open sepulcher. In other words, those who use their throats to pour forth the powers of sin and death into the world. 

The candles which are placed around our throats, as part of the St. Blaise blessing, are to remind us that what comes out of our throats must be the light of Christ.  Yet, the candles are also crossed, to remind us that it is by His holy cross, ultimately, that we are delivered from all evils.  

St. Blaise’s miraculous healing of the young boy was not sorcery or harnessing of occult powers, but was due to the fact that the bishop united his life to Christ, bore his share of the cross of Christ, and became an instrument of Christ’s healing in the world. 

May we do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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To God the Father Almighty we direct the prayers of our heart for the needs and salvation of humanity and the good of His faithful ones.

For the holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her, care for her, and aid her in her mission.

During this Catholic Schools week, for all young people, for their teachers and catechists and parents who are the first teachers of the faith, and that the truth of the faith may be learned, cherished, and practiced in every Catholic school and Christian home.

For an increase in the virtue of hope, especially for the hopeless and despairing and for hardened sinners.

For the sick and suffering among us, for those who care for them, and for all of our beloved dead, especially X, for whom this mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

February 3 2020 - St. Blaise - Deliverance from Demons and the Powers of Death

Yesterday, at Sunday Mass, we heard in the letter to the Hebrews that Jesus came and shared our flesh that “he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the Devil.” St. Luke gives a similar explanation for Jesus’ ministry, saying in the book of Acts that Jesus' ministry was to go "about doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the devil". In fact, the Lord got quite the reputation in his ministry as an itinerant exorcist, one who traveled through the land, liberating the possessed.  And today, we hear the powerful story of the Lord casting out Legion, the unclean spirit or spirits possessing the Garasene demoniac. 

There are demons which seem to have free reign in our nation and in our neighborhoods—demons with names like “Addiction”, “Pornography”, “Greed”, “Blasphemy”, and “Despair”. But the Lord’s ministry of deliverance, casting out the demons from this world, is meant to continue, through us. Whenever we visit a new place, or a home which seems to house evil, we do well to pray, “Lord, deliver us from evil, deliver this place from evil, deliver these souls from evil.”

The unclean spirits will continue to be at work for the ruin of souls until the Lord returns, but we are certainly called to engage in the work of deliverance as well, offering up our sufferings for deliverance, praying for deliverance, setting good Christian example that those enslaved to sin might see that deliverance is possible.

Today we honor St. Blaise, a bishop and martyr from the 4th century. He had gained a reputation for his holiness among his people and for deliverance. He famously he healed a boy who had fish bones stuck in his throat and near death. He cast out this instrument of death, like the Lord casting out a demon. And so for centuries, Blaise has been invoked as the patron saint of those with throat ailments.

Up and down the centuries we see the saints standing up to the powers of death, opposed to the powers of evil and corruption. We invoke them, and seek to imitate them. That we like them, may become instruments of God’s power and goodness in the world, instruments of Christ who came to liberate all those captive to sin, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Bishops, the successors of the Apostles, may use their authority wisely and courageously in standing against the evils of this world.

For all those under the sway of evil, error, and corruption, for their deliverance by the power of Christ.

For the protection of young people from the corrupting influences of the world, for Christians families, and for the conversion of the faithless.

For the sick, suffering, and sorrowful, for miracles for hopeless causes.

For the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.