February 3, 2012
Holy Mass is celebrated at the AIM Chapel every 12:30pm from Monday to Friday, and I attended the one held today because it is First Friday and it also happened to be the Feast of Saint Blaise. After the mass ended, people lined up to have their throats blessed. I was one of them. (This practice is the ‘main event’ of the feast because the health and healing of the throat is ascribed to St. Blaise.)
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| St. Blaise |
However, unlike most of the other Saints I pray to, and whose books I have read as in the case of St. Teresa of Avila vis-à-vis her “The Way of Perfection,” I only learned about St. Blaise when I was already in my late twenties (28 to be precise). In fact, the very first time I learned of his existence was also at a First Friday 12:30pm Mass at AIM, sometime in 2005, when I was still a student at the Institute. Right after that particular mass ended, I was surprised and baffled to see people line up to have their throats blessed. Quite frankly, I found it both weird and hilarious. “Really?” I thought to myself. “There is actually a Saint whose charism is specifically for throats? Are they kidding?” I derisively chuckled, but silently of course. I naturally did not join the queue to have my throat blessed, and for all intents and purposes I actually dismissed it as ridiculous. I mean, what’s next, a Patron Saint for the elbow?
But the strangest thing happened right after I left the chapel. I suddenly felt discomfort in my throat. I did not eat anything, in fact I just came from Mass and already had my lunch before I attended it. (Fasting is prescribed before Mass, but I had lunch beforehand because of my tight schedule of classes.) The discomfort became more and more intense, until it actually felt as if a fishbone materialized out of nowhere and was suddenly stuck in my throat. I was literally terrified, and I prayed and repented with fervor and humility, because I knew right away that it had something to do with my derisive thoughts about the blessing of the throats. I suffered and endured the discomfort all throughout the afternoon, even during class so much so that I could hardly think and recite. The discomfort disappeared only when it was finally evening. I was so relieved and repentant when it finally disappeared, and by then I already learned my lesson.
I was later on stunned and amazed to find out that St. Blaise is traditionally believed to intercede in cases of throat illnesses, especially “for fish-bones stuck in the throat.” (Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Blaise.) By then the connection was clearly confirmed, well at least to my mind, and from the perspective of faith.
Since I am after all only human, and despite being an educated grown man, I can still be bad and naughty at times; either thinking something unfair about events or other people, or saying or doing something unfair towards them. And when I do commit any such wrongdoing, most of the time something bad will also subsequently and immediately happen to me, nothing severe but just enough to teach me a lesson, just like that fishbone that suddenly materialized in my throat.
Therefore it is actually one of the other reasons that I know God loves me. Because apart from the blessings, the guidance, and the protection, He also provides me with the chastisement to keep me in check. And the retribution is almost always immediate.
Consequently, I am so afraid to be bad and naughty. And I always think twice whenever I am tempted. :-)
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I intend to incorporate the above story in the book I am working on. So please do not forward it to anyone in order to preserve the copyright. Many thanks and happy weekend!
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