Whosoever is athirst

When therefore the servants of the Chief Priests and Scribes saw these
things, and heard from Jesus, 'Whosoever is athirst, let him come to
Me and drink'; they perceived that this was not a mere man like
themselves, but that this was He who gave water to the saints, and
that it was He who was announced by the prophet Isaiah. For He was
truly the splendor of the light, and the Word of God. And thus as a
river from the fountain He gave drink also of old to Paradise; but now
to all men He gives the same gift of the Spirit, and says, 'If any man
thirst, let him come to Me and drink. Whosoever believeth on Me, as
said the Scripture, rivers of living water shall flow out of his
belly'. This was not for man to say, but for the living God, Who truly vouchsafes life, and gives the Holy Spirit.
St. Athanasius, Letters 44 [teaching on John 6:37-38]

<<>><<>><<>>
February 3rd – St. Blaise
Martyred 316?

St. Blaise has achieved perennial popularity in both the East of his
origin (he was bishop of Sebastea in Armenia) and in the West.
However, like many another favored saint, we know little about his
life.

His (undependable) medieval legend gives the following biography.

Blaise was a boy of high intelligence, so his parents gave him a good
Catholic education. He went on, then, to the priesthood. While still a
young man, he was chosen bishop of Sebastea, Armenia.

In 316, the Roman Emperor Licinius withdrew from his position of
tolerating Christians, and started again to persecute them. Blaise,
counseled by God, went into hiding in a woodland cave. There his only
company was the wild animals; but the gentle bishop soon made friends
with them, healed their wounds, and blessed them.

One day, however, some hunters invaded his wilderness in search of
wild animals that could be used in the stadiums to fight gladiators
and devour Christians. They were surprised to find the bishop, and, of
course, brought him back for trial. On the trip, says the legend, the
party came upon a poor woman whose pig had been carried off by a wolf.
Bishop Blaise commanded the robbing animal to return the pig, and so
he did, safe and sound. On arrival at the court, the future martyr was imprisoned in a dark jail without food to eat or light to see by. Out
of gratitude, the woman whose pig he had restored managed to get him
food and provide him with candles. Another woman brought to the saint
her little boy, who had caught a fishbone in his throat and was on the
point of strangulation. Blaise miraculously got rid of the bone.

But Governor Agricolaus treated this merciful man unmercifully. Before imprisoning him, he had him scourged. In due time Emperor Licinius
himself arrived, tried to “convert” the bishop to paganism by tearing
his body with iron wool-combs, and finally sentencing him to
beheading.

Blaise’s subsequent popularity stemmed particularly from his repute as
a miracle worker. Three classes of devotees arose: those associated
with wild animals; professional wool-combers (with whose tools he had
been tortured); and people who wanted to heal or avoid a throat
illness. In Germany, St. Blaise came to be honored as one of the
cluster of “handy” saints called the “Fourteen Holy Helpers”.

Blaise is best known to us as an intercessor against throat diseases.
In our Latin-Rite churches the blessing of throats is still performed
on this feastday, February 3. For this rite blessed candles are most
widely used, commemorating, it is said, the candles that the saint’s benefactress brought to him in jail. In blessing throats, the priest
holds two of these candles, crossed in “X”-form either over the head
or touching the throat of the petitioner and recites: “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you
from every disease of the throat and from every other illness, in the
name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In the
Armenian Rite, the priest dips the wick of a candle in holy oil and
with it anoints the throats of the faithful.

The blessing of throats on or near Saint Blaise’s day, like the
reception of ashes on Ash Wednesday, and palms on Palm Sunday, is a “sacramental”. Sacramentals are, of course, far less important than
the sacraments, like baptism, confession, Holy Communion, anointing of
the sick, etc.; yet even many Catholics who are not regular at Mass or confession, still look forward to receiving these lesser rites. May
they continue to do so, and to instruct their children in the
significance of such sacramentals. As long as these little ceremonies
are practiced, the hearts of those who receive them show they are
still bound lovingly to the Catholic Faith.
–Father Robert


Saint Quote:
A precious crown is reserved in Heaven for those who perform all their
actions with all the diligence of which they are capable; for it is
not sufficient to do our part well, it must be done more than well.
--St. Ignatius of Loyola

Bible Quote:
By his divine power, he has lavished on us all the things we need for
life and for true devotion, through the knowledge of his who has
called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these, the greatest
and priceless promises have been lavished on us, that through them you
should share the divine nature and escape the corruption rife in the
world through disordered passion.  [2 Peter 1:3-4]


<><><><>
PRAYER OF REPARATION

Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Sacred heart of Jesus,
with all Its love,
all Its sufferings and all Its merits;
To expiate all the sins I have committed this day,
and during all my life.

Glory be to the Father, etc...

To purify the good I have done in my poor way this day,
and during all my life.

Glory be to the Father, etc...

To make up for the good I ought to have done and
that I have neglected this day
and during all my life.

Glory be to the Father, etc...

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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