
The priest gives the girl the Holy Blaise Throat Blessing.
Today, an exceptional blessing is given in Catholic churches during Holy Mass. The priest shall place two lighted and crossed candles under the believer’s throat and bless him with the words: „ At the intercession of Saint Blaise, may the Lord protect you from all evil and may the almighty God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit bless you.“
The Holy Blaise Throat Blessing, which priests administer on the feast of St. Blaise on the third of February, has a long tradition in the church. As Blažej Čaputa, the dean of Nové Mesto nad Váhom, explains to the World of Christianity, the blessing has been established in the church since around the 16th century.
The church confirmed the tradition based on legends
„There are no verified written records directly about Blaise’s life, but the tradition of respect for him is powerful in the church. Instead, she passed on herself through experience. That respect for him has survived to this day is proof that the faithful have experienced hearing their pleas at his intercession,“ says Dean Čaputa with that, that most miracles allegedly took place only after his death.
The life of this early Christian martyr from Armenia was not described until several centuries after his death, but these are legends rather than credible sources.
„Legends are legends, we cannot verify them historically, but the fact is that the church confirmed their tradition with a blessing given through his intercession, which is why it is called St. Blaise,“ liturgist Štefan Fábry told the World of Christianity.
The tradition about Saint Blaise says that he worked as a doctor before becoming a bishop in Sebastian (today’s Sivas in Turkey). He died a martyr’s death sometime around 316. The origin of the blessing, which is given on the day of his commemoration, lies in two legends.
„According to the first, during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Licinius, Bishop Blaise hid in a cave in the mountains, where he allegedly saved a poor widow, a calf, or a pig attacked by a wolf. She is said to have given him candles as a reward,“ As another legend mentions, Blaise was also said to like forest animals that hid in a cave where he lived as a hermit. Thanks to this, the hunters discovered him, denounced him, and then he was imprisoned and sentenced to death.
„The second legend says that on the way to the gallows or while still in prison, he saved the life of a boy whose throat had a bone from a fish stuck,“ It was precisely because of these two events which stuck in people’s memory, that believers prayed more and more for his intercession as a helper in need, in various diseases of the throat or teeth. He has been revered in the East as the patron saint of cattle since the 6th century. Blaise has been revered as the patron saint of doctors and wool weavers in the West since the 9th century. Since 855, Blaise’s relics have rested in St. Blasien in the Schwarzwald southwest of Germany. Only in Rome are several churches dedicated to him; there is also a well-known church in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
A blessing is not mandatory; it belongs to popular piety.
„ However, people expect it, desire this blessing, and come to it in relatively large numbers. It is used in our area; I have not met that the priests bypass the blessing because people will request it,“ thinks Dean Čaputa. There are two ways in which a blessing can be given. The priest blesses each believer who shows interest in him by standing in line. This form is time-consuming, requires people’s patience, and replaces the final blessing. At the same time, it is also possible to give a joint blessing when the priest blesses everyone present in the church at the same time.
In both cases, the ceremony will begin with the blessing of the candles, which the priest will sprinkle with holy water. The prayer will be heard: „ Protect us, through the intercession of this bishop and martyr, from diseases of the throat and all damage and lead us safely through all the dangers of our lives.“
When blessing together, the priest prays with the words: „ Let him strengthen you so that in the health of body and soul you fulfill your mission and achieve salvation in the community of all saints.“
The priest grants a blessing with a candle, the so-called bliss. Photo: The Dubrovnik Times/Niksa Duper
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