3 Feb – Memorial for St. Blaise, bishop and martyr; Memorial for St. Ansgar, bishop
St. Blaise (d. 316) was a physician and Bishop of Sebaste, Armenia. He lived in a cave on Mount Argeus. He was a healer of men and animals. According to legend, sick animals would come to him on their own for help but would never disturb him in prayer.
Agricola, governor of Cappadocia, came to Sebaste to persecute Christians. His huntsmen went into the forests of Argeus to find wild animals for the arena games and found many waiting outside Blaise’s cave. Discovered in prayer, Blaise was arrested, and Agricola tried to get him to recant his faith. While in prison, Blaise ministered to and healed his fellow prisoners, including saving a child who was choking on a fish bone; this led to the blessing of throats on Blaise’s feast day.
Thrown into a lake to drown, Blaise stood on the surface and invited his persecutors to walk out and prove the power of their gods; they drowned. When he returned to land, he was martyred by being beaten, his flesh torn out with wool combs (which led to his association with, and patronage of those involved in the wool trade), and then beheaded.
Blaise has been extremely popular for centuries in both the Eastern and Western Churches. In 1222, the Council of Oxford prohibited servile labour in England on his feast. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
St. Ansgar (801-865) was born to the French nobility. He was a Benedictine monk at Old Corbie Abbey in Picardy, and New Corbie in Westphalia. He studied under St. Adelard and St. Paschasius Radbert. He accompanied the converted King Harold to Denmark when the exiled king returned home.
He was a missionary to Denmark and Sweden. He founded the first Christian church in Sweden in c.832. He was abbot of New Corbie in c.834. He was ordained Archbishop of Hamburg by Pope Gregory IV. He was a papal legate to the Scandinavian countries. He established the first Christian school in Denmark, but was run out by pagans, and the school was burned to the ground. He campaigned against slavery.
He was Archbishop of Bremen. He converted Erik, King of Jutland. He was a great preacher, a miracle worker, and greatly devoted to the poor and sick. Sadly, after his death most of his gains for the Church were lost to resurgent paganism.
- Patron Saint Index
2 Sam 18:9-10,14,24-25,30-19:3
Mk 5:21-43
“…your faith has restored you…”
How often do we wallow in despair or self-pity when we find ourselves in trouble, or in a less than desirable state? Yet, when we see others in need, or when they come to us with prayer requests, we find in ourselves the faith to tell them that “it is okay” or“God will answer your prayers.”
Well, a good example of such a person is me. When I’m in some desperate situation, I start to self-doubt, beat myself up for landing myself in such a state, or give in to temptation to sin; but somehow, I don’t have the faith to truly trust in God that He will make all things right. On the other hand, when someone comes to me crying in desperation, I somehow muster the courage and faith to tell him or her that “all will be okay… just have faith in Jesus.”
I guess what is lacking in my life is the ability to just trust and let go, so that God can do His part. In today’s gospel (Mark 5:21-43), we have the synagogue official’s daughter who was dying, and the official had rushed to meet Jesus to ask Him to save his daughter. I guess it was his own faith that pushed him to seek the help of Jesus to heal his daughter; knowing in his heart that only Jesus could save his daughter in such a dire situation. Likewise for me, I am able to see, from a third person’s perspective, that Jesus is the author of life and is able to help the person who comes to me with a prayer request. The big question is, how can I translate that faith and apply it to myself when I’m faced with such a big problem, instead of being all negative and being a worrywart?
The other character in today’s Gospel is the haemorrhaging woman who touched the cloak of Jesus. Again, faith is what drove her to desire to touch just the cloak of Jesus. Would I be able to have in me the courage to just stretch out to touch Jesus and be saved, or healed, from whatever I am going through, however desperate the situation may be? Would I give everything and just trust completely that God will hear my prayer in my desperation?
In the midst of my suffering and pain, I guess it is comforting to hear the words that Jesus had for the two female characters in today’s Gospel. To the synagogue official’s daughter, “Talitha Kum” or “little girl, get up.” And to the haemorrhaging woman, “Your faith has restored you.” It speaks greatly of how much Jesus is so gentle and compassionate in His response to you and me, even when we are suffering and even dying, all we need is a little faith.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Lee)
Prayer: We pray for the gift of complete faith in Jesus, who is the author of life and master of everything.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Jesus, for your faithfulness in spite of my unfaithfulness.
OXYGEN 
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