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St. Blaise
January 3, Bishop and martyr.


Source: Ewtn.com



We know more about the devotion to St. Blaise by Christians around the world than we know about the saint himself, as little information as we have we know that Bishop Blaise was martyred in his episcopal city in 316.  Saint Blaise is believed to begin as a healer then, eventually, became a "physician of souls."

The legendary Acts of St. Blase were written 400 years later and according to them Blase was a good bishop, working hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people.

It is not known precisely when or where St. Blaise lived, but according to tradition he was a bishop of Sebaste, Armenia, in the early part of the fourth century, and suffered martyrdom under the Roman emperor Licinius, who had commanded the governor of the province, one Agricolaus, to prevent the spread of Christianity in his territory. After this edict had been promulgated, Blaise fled to the mountains and lived as a hermit in solitude and prayer, but he made friends with the wild animals. He used his skill to heal the animals that he found wounded or sick, and when the emperor's hunters, bent on collecting wild animals for the royal games, discovered him in this cave, they carried him off to Agricolaus as a special prize.

Agricolaus, governor of Cappadocia, tried to persuade Blaise to sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blaise refused, he was beaten. The next time he was suspended from a tree and his flesh torn with iron combs or rakes. When he was finally killed, he is supposed to have been tortured with an iron comb or rake, and afterwards beheaded.

The legend has it that during the course of his journey he miraculously cured a child who was choking to death on a fishbone. For this reason St. Blaise is often invoked by persons suffering from throat trouble, also he is known for his healing of animals.










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