Today, February 3, is the feast day of St Blaise, the day we traditionally have the blessing of the throats that is a popular tradition in the Catholic faith on this day. We had the blessing of the throats at our masses over the weekend. Blaise was martyred in the year 316 in in Armenia where he served as Bishop. Tradition holds that as Bishop, Blaise worked very hard for the spiritual, physical, and overall well-being of his people. He fled his city during a time of terrible persecution. When Blaise was found hiding in a cave, he was captured by hunters and hauled off to prison. On his journey to prison, a mother approached Blaise with her young son who had a fish bone lodged in his throat. At Blaise’s command, the child was able to cough up the bone. This is why we have the blessing of the throats in honor of St Blaise on his feast day. Blaise was beheaded when he refused to worship foreign idols. We honor St Blaise today for the example of faith that he passes down to us.
A synagogue official comes to Jesus to get help for his sick daughter in our Gospel today. At the same time, a woman also comes to him for help, as she had been sick for many years, having received no relief from the doctors. This woman reaches out to Jesus, believing that touching his cloak will bring her relief. Both of the synagogue official and the sick woman were bold and courageous in reaching out to Jesus. They reached out through barriers, fears, and any inadequacies they felt. Ultimately, they reached out in faith. So often our fears can hold us back and immobilize us. The synagogue official’s fears are brought to reality when he is told that his daughter has died. Yet Jesus’ response to this synagogue official is the same response he gives to all of us: “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” The Buddhists have a saying: “A journey of 10,000 miles begins with one step.” Sometimes having faith starts with that one little step, to step out of the darkness. That’s all it takes to begin the process. Just one step.
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