Of all the sacramentals that are deeply rooted in our tradition, the Blessing of Throats on the Feast Day of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, is one that touches us intimately, so much so that it has survived the onslaught on the Sacramentals. How many of you have brought wine for blessing on the Feast Day of St. John the Evangelist or herbs on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin? No? You didn’t know that you could do that? Well, you can. However, it’s best to ask the priest beforehand if you’re intending to do so.
The Blessing of Throats of St. Blaise has become so popular that they have even created a contraption to hold the candles in place so that they can be placed around the neck more easily. It looks a little bit like a Star Trek kind of implement that can be placed against people’s throats in order to impart the blessing, which is priestly by nature.
Giving blessings is something which priests do on certain occasions. In certain situations, the father of the family can give a type of blessing for the members of his family, but this notion has spread so much so that some believe that as long as you have the candles, then you can give and get the blessing from anyone. Well, that’s not true, and frankly, it’s not a good idea, either. If you want the St. Blaise blessing, go and find yourself a priest, because the blessing, in fact, comes from God and not from the candles.
There is also an increased danger of testing the Lord once you have received the St. Blaise Blessing. Be very careful that you do not fall into this trap. The protection of the candles on the Feast Day of St. Blaise is not in some way a spell, because that would be superstition. Receiving the blessing does not mean that you will never get a cough or a cold or even the coronavirus.
What it does mean is that those ailments will serve God and that, really, is the point of St. Paul’s letter from today’s readings; that our sufferings can bring comfort to others, because our sufferings can be joined to the suffering of Christ. When our sufferings are joined to the sufferings of Christ, we take part with Him in His work of saving the world.
When we receive a blessing, we are dedicating a particular feature of our spiritual life under God’s wing of protection. We entrust everything to Him, rather than thinking, “Okay, I’ve taken all of my shots, I have all of my medications and now my throat it blessed, therefore I won’t succumb to any illness.” Instead our thought is, “I have placed myself under His protection and therefore, whatever happens, I will let God work through it, for His glory.” The protection that we receive from the Blessing of the Throats on this Feast Day of St. Blaise takes its cue from the martyr himself. He is one who gave up his life, because he was not prepared to compromise. If you’re interested as to why we bless throats on his feast day, St. Blaise saved the life of a young girl who was choking on a fishbone, and hence, the reason he became the patron saint of throats.
One final comment, the throat is the place where our thoughts are given voice. We always think of our lips being the location of our language. In fact, we make more use of our throats, our larynx, to create the sounds of our voice. Let’s make sure on this Feast Day of St. Blaise that our larynx are blessed by God far more than any superstitious idea of being protected from a cough or a cold. Let’s, instead, ask this saint for his intercession to make sure that what we produce from our throats, the sound that comes out of our lips is, in fact, like him, holy.