Christ the Cornerstone

The healing power of Christ our light is revealed in the saints

The publication date for this column, Feb. 3, is the memorial of St. Blaise, who was the Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia in the fourth century.

We don’t know much about his life, but what we do know is that he was a physician renowned for his healing and that in the year 316 Blaise was martyred during a persecution ordered by the Roman Emperor Lucinius. According to the available records, after his interrogation and a severe scourging, Blaise was hurried off to prison and subsequently beheaded.

From 1346 to 1353, a bubonic plague commonly referred to as “Black Death” ravaged Europe, Asia and North Africa. It was the deadliest pandemic in human history, with conservative estimates of its death toll reaching more than 25 million people. Almost half of the people in Europe died in this pandemic. During that plague, many people prayed fervently. Out of that chaos, a new devotion to the “Fourteen Holy Helpers” emerged. Those holy helpers were 14 saints, who in addition to the Blessed Virgin Mary, were believed to be powerful intercessors, especially to cure illness. Among those 14 is St. Blaise.

Today, St. Blaise is especially remembered because of a particular incident related in the book of legends, the Acts of St. Blaise, written 400 years after his death. According to the Acts, while Blaise was being taken into custody, a distraught mother, whose only child was choking on a fish bone, threw herself at his feet and implored his intercession. Touched at her grief, Blaise offered up his prayers, and the child was cured. Consequently, St. Blaise is invoked for protection against injuries and illnesses of the throat.

In many places throughout the world, today’s memorial is celebrated with the blessing of throats. Two candles blessed during yesterday’s feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas) are either held in a crossed position by a priest over the heads of the faithful, or the people are touched on the throat with them while the following blessing is given: “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness.” Then the priest makes the sign of the cross over the faithful.

This popular blessing underscores the importance of healing in the Church’s ministry. It also calls attention to the light of Christ, whose presence dispels all darkness from a world that has been overshadowed by sin and death. These two themes, healing and light, are reflected throughout the Scriptures, and they are illustrated in the lives of many saints and martyrs, including St. Blaise.

After nearly three years of COVID-19 and its variants—which have caused enormous sickness and death worldwide, and which have been accompanied by serious economic difficulties and social unrest—we know the importance of healing, and we long for the light of Christ that can penetrate the darkness of sin in our individual lives and in our world. A simple ceremony like the blessing of throats takes on a new meaning when it is celebrated in a time of pandemic.

Jesus, whose name (“soter” in Greek) means savior or healer, comes into our daily lives in word, sacrament and service precisely to heal us from the physical, mental and spiritual ills that we all suffer from in one way or another. When we honor saints like Blaise, we acknowledge that we see in them the presence of Jesus Christ. When we resolve to imitate them, we are imitating Jesus Christ who is revealed in their words and actions.

Every saint is an icon of Jesus, an expression of certain aspects of the Lord’s life and ministry. The two patronal saints of our archdiocese, Francis Xavier and Mother Theodore Guerin, were missionaries who reflected the importance of proclaiming the good news to all nations and people. Similarly, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Benedict show us the contemplative dimension of Christian life, illustrating in their words and example our Lord’s commitment to prayerful communion with the Father.

St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi both gave powerful witness to Jesus’ love for the poor. St. Blaise, St. Vincent de Paul and many other saints show us the healing power of Jesus, whose ministry was spent curing the sick, forgiving sins, and restoring life to those dead to sin.

Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver us from every sickness of mind, body and spirit. May we see in him the healing power of Jesus. And may we strive to imitate St. Blaise, and all the saints, in giving faithful witness to the truth of our salvation in Christ. †