St. Blaise and St. Sebastian,
holding instruments of their Martyrdom, Iron Combs and Arrows.
February
3
MARTYRDOM OF
ST. BLAISE
At Sebaste, in Armenia, the holy martyr Blase, (about
the year 316,) Bishop of that city, and the worker of many miracles. Under the
President Agricolaus he was long flogged, then hung to a beam, where his flesh
was rent with iron combs, then he suffered a foul imprisonment, after which he
was cast into the lake, and, inasmuch as he came out thence unhurt, he was
beheaded, by order of the same judge, along with two lads.
Before him seven women, who were collecting the drops of his
blood as they fell during the torture, were arrested for being Christians, and
after being grievously tormented were put to the sword.
Combing
(torture)
Combing, sometimes known as carding, (despite carding
being a completely different process), is a sometimes-fatal form of torture in
which iron combs designed to prepare wool and other fibres for woolen spinning
are used to scrape, tear, and flay the victim's flesh.
Iron comb
The iron combs typically used for torture were sturdy
instruments with one or two rows of teeth, each a few inches in length and
designed to prepare wool and other fibres for woolen spinning. Used for combing
rough fibres, these instruments resembled miniature garden rakes.
History
The tradition that a torturous death by combing with a
kanphos was inflicted by Croesus was recorded by Herodotus. Later mentions from
the Middle East and Asia Minor often associate combing with heroic martyrdom
for the sake of belief in the Abrahamic God and loyalty to one's Jewish,
Christian, or Muslim faith. Specific episodes of combing are mentioned in the
Talmud and in the martyrologies of several Christian saints, notably Saint Blasius,
whose iconic attribute was the comb.
Born - Sebastea,
historical Armenia
Died - c.
316 AD
Attributes - Wool
comb, candles, tending a choking boy or animals
Patronage - Animals,
builders, choking, veterinarians, throats, infants, Maratea, Italy, Sicily,
Dalmatia, Dubrovnik, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, Rubiera, stonecutters, carvers,
wool workers
Sources
The first reference we have to him is in manuscripts
of the medical writings of Aëtius Amidenus, a court physician of the very end
of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century; there his aid
is invoked in treating objects stuck in the throat.
Marco Polo reported the place where "Meeser Saint
Blaise obtained the glorious crown of martyrdom", Sebastea; the shrine
near the citadel mount was mentioned by William of Rubruck in 1253. However, it
appears to no longer exist. He healed animals (who came to the saint on their
own for his assistance) and was assisted by animals.
Life
From being a healer of bodily ailments, Saint Blaise
became a physician of souls, then retired for a time, by divine
inspiration, to a cavern where he remained in prayer. As bishop
of Sebastea, Blaise instructed his people as much by his example as by his
words, and the great virtues and sanctity of the servant of God were attested
by many miracles. From all parts, the people came flocking to him for the cure of
bodily and spiritual ills.
In 316, the governor of Cappadocia and Lesser Armenia
Agricolaus began a persecution by order of the Emperor
Licinius and Saint Blaise was seized. After his
interrogation and a severe scourging, he was hurried off to prison, and
subsequently beheaded.
The Acts of
St. Blaise
The legendary
Acts of St. Blaise were written 400 years later. The Acts of St. Blaise,
written in Greek, are medieval.
The legend as
given in the Grande Encyclopédie is as follows:
Blaise, who had studied philosophy in his youth, was a
doctor in Sebaste in Armenia, the city of his birth, who exercised his art with
miraculous ability, good-will, and piety. When the bishop of the city died, he
was chosen to succeed him, with the acclamation of all the people. His holiness
was manifest through many miracles: from all around, people came to him to find
cures for their spirit and their body; even wild animals came in herds to
receive his blessing. In 316, Agricola, the governor of Cappadocia and of
Lesser Armenia, having arrived in Sebastia at the order of the emperor Licinius
to kill the Christians, arrested the bishop.
As he was being led to jail, a mother set her only son,
choking to death of a fish-bone, at his feet, and the child was cured straight
away. Regardless, the governor, unable to make Blaise renounce his
faith, beat him with a stick, ripped his flesh with iron combs, and beheaded
him.
The blessing
of St. Blaise
According to the Acts, while Blaise was being taken
into custody, a distraught mother, whose only child was choking on a fishbone,
threw herself at his feet and implored his intercession. Touched at her grief,
he offered up his prayers, and the child was cured. Consequently, Saint Blaise
is invoked for protection against injuries and illnesses of the throat.
____________________
MASS
St. Blaise
Bishop and
Martyr
Simple – Red vestments
Missa
'Sacerdotes Dei'
INTROIT – Daniel 3: 84, 87
Sacerdotes Dei, benedicite
Dominum: sancti et humiles corde, laudate Deum. Ps. Benedicite, omnia opera Domini Domino: laudate et superexaltate eum in
sæcula. Gloria Patri.
Sacerdotes
Dei, benedicite Dominum, sancti et humiles corde, laudate Deum.
O ye priests of the Lord,
bless the Lord: O ye holy and humble of heart, praise God. Ps. All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him
above all for ever. Glory be to the Father.
O
ye priests of the Lord, O ye holy and humble of heart, praise God.
Martyrdom of St.
Blaise
COLLECT
O God, who dost gladden us by the annual feast of
blessed Blaise, Thy Martyr and Bishop: mercifully grant that we who celebrate
his heavenly birthday, may also rejoice in his protection. Through our Lord. R. Amen.
EPISTLE - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Lesson from
the second letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
Brethren: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us
in all our afflictions, that we also may be able to comfort those who are in
any distress by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted by God. For as
the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so also through Christ does our comfort
abound. For whether we are afflicted, it is for your instruction and salvation;
or whether we are comforted, it is for our comfort; which shows its efficacy in
the endurance of the selfsame sufferings that we also suffer. And our hope for
you is steadfast, knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so will
you also be of the comfort, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
GRADUAL – Psalm 8: 6-7
Thou hast crowned him with glory and honour. And hast
set him over the works of Thy hands, O Lord.
TRACT – Psalm 111: 1-3
Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he
delighteth exceedingly in His commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon
earth: the generation of the righteous shall be blessed. Glory and wealth shall
be in his house, and his justice remaineth for ever and ever.
Continuation of the holy
Gospel according to Saint Matthew
Matthew 16: 24-27
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, If
anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow Me. For he who would save his life will lose it; but he who loses
his life for My sake will find it. For what does it profit a man, if he gain
the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul? For the Son of Man is to
come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will render to everyone
according to His conduct.
OFFERTORY – Psalm 88: 21-22
I have found David My
servant, with My holy oil I have anointed him; for My hand shall help him, and
My arm shall strengthen him.
SECRET
Sanctify, O Lord, the
gifts dedicated to Thee, and through them, by the intercession of blessed
Blaise, Thy Martyr and Bishop, graciously regard us. Through our Lord.
COMMON PREFACE
It is truly meet and
just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times and in all
places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God:
through Christ our Lord. Through Whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty,
Dominations worship, Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the Heavenly hosts
together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it.
Together with them we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be
admitted, while we say in lowly praise:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in excélsis.
Benedíctus qui venit in nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis.
COMMUNION - Psalm 20: 4
Thou hast set on his
head, O Lord, a crown of precious stones.
POSTCOMMUNION
Refreshed by the
participation in the holy gift, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that by the
intercession of blessed Blaise Thy Martyr and Bishop, we may experience the
effect of that which we celebrate. Through the Lord.
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