Saint Blaise
Bishop and martyr.
His feast is celebrated on February 3.
Biography of San Blas
San Blas was bishop of Sebaste, a city that belonged to Armenia at that time.
At first he practiced medicine, and he took advantage of the great influence that his quality as an excellent doctor gave him, to speak to his patients in favor of Jesus Christ and his holy religion and thus gain many followers for Christianity.
When Diocletian’s persecution broke out, Saint Blaise had to take refuge in a cave on Mount Argeus and lived there as a hermit, even after being appointed bishop.
From there he directed and encouraged the persecuted Christians and at night he secretly went down to the city to help them and to help and comfort those who were in jail, and to bring them the Holy Eucharist.
San Blas was very fond of animals, whom he also cured. Sick or injured animals came to his cave in Argeus to be healed. One day, he saw that some government hunters were coming to look for animals to take them to the games in the arena. Then, San Blas scared the wild beasts away to prevent them from being hunted. Then the hunters, in revenge, took him prisoner.
At that time, Agricola was governor of Cappadocia and had started various persecutions against Christians. Put in the presence of Agrícola, San Blas was demanded with threats to renounce the faith, but he rejected the proposal.
The governor, seeing that the saint did not stop proclaiming his faith in God, imprisoned him. While they took him prisoner, he was blessing the immense crowd that looked at him full of admiration along the way and his blessing obtained the healing of many.
There was a healing that everyone was very excited about. A poor woman had her son dying because she had a fish bone stuck in her throat. She ran to a place where the Saint had to pass. She knelt down and presented her son that she was drowning. San Blas placed his hands on the child’s head and prayed for him. Immediately the thorn disappeared and the child recovered his health from it. The people cheered him enthusiastically. Hence the custom of blessing the throats on his feast day, February 3. That also earned him becoming a patron of otolaryngologists and those who suffer from a throat condition.
He spent a few days in prison, preaching among captives and sentenced to death. In that place, he cured the sick and baptized those who wanted to become Christians.
According to the Acts of San Blas, he was sentenced to die by drowning but, when he was thrown into the waters of a lake, the Saint began to walk on them, repeating the miracle that Jesus Christ did.
He was then led to the scaffold, tortured, and finally beheaded. He died as a martyr in AD 316. C., in times of the Emperor Licinius. And after his death he began to obtain many miracles from God in favor of those who prayed to him. It became so popular that only in Italy it had 35 temples dedicated to it. His country, Armenia, became Christian a few years after his martyrdom.
San Blas is the patron saint of Paraguay and is the patron saint of otolaryngologists.
Prayer to Saint Blaise
Miraculous Saint Blaise, who, full of joy, on the way to jail, worked wonders and saved the life of a child who was dying by drowning by a thorn that was pierced in his throat, obtain for us from the Lord the grace to see us free from all throat diseases and use this always for the glory of God and good of our souls. So be it.
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