From the silly saints file today:
It would seem that this saint died in 316 AD. He was beaten to death with iron carding combs – that involves ripping your skin off with iron combs. (ouch)
Among his many acts he cured animals and lived in a cage. Before being killed, he spoke to a wolf and told it to release a pig it was harming. The wolf did so. Saint Blaise was going to be starved but the owner of the pig secretly gave him food in order to survive. Clearly mad.
These days the good saint is used to intercede in throat illness. The scientist have clearly missed that cure for throat cancer. All you need to do on the day of Saint Blaise (February 3rd) is take two candles, long ones, and cross them. Then you hold these candles up against the sick persons throat and say the magic words “May God at the intercession of St. Blaise preserve you from throat troubles and every other evil”. I think its a preventative thing, perhaps not a cure.
I’m glad to see that the “every other evil” tag is there, its a bit like saying, look, be sure to look after my throat, oh, and while you’re at it can you check to make sure there’s no other evil lurking about here.
You can even ge
t a special candle holder to help with the blessing. Its not clear whether or not the candles needs to be alight when the blessing is said.
Is it little wonder that its hard to take the words of the pope or his scallywag offsider Pell seriously when they continue to peddle this twaddle. These guys still think that saying magic words will stop throat cancer. They honour a man that died in 316AD that was clearly mad as he spoke to animals, and the animals appear to do as he told them. They think that if you cross a couple of candles and say the right words all the evil in your life will be gone.
I wonder if there has ever been a case of someone saying the magic words and being healed of a throat problem. Let me answer that for you before you head off to Google. [SOURCE]Mrs Ryan did. Well just as well every year she gives thanks and praise. They also let the kiddies in to the service:
”It made me feel safe when I got the blessing,” Elizabeth O’Driscoll, a 9-year-old fourth grader, said. ”I sometimes get sore throats, and this made me feel good.”
Sometimes get sore throats? So it doesn’t work then?
Jeremiah Harrington, a 13-year-old eighth grader, said he had a mild sore throat that very morning. The blessing did not immediately cure it, but he was sure it would soon help.
It would have been good to do a follow up report.
Lizzy Rosato, another 9-year-old in the fourth grade, received the blessing during a break from science class. Of the contrast between science and religion, she said, ”They are way different — science tries to find out things, but in religion you just believe, you have faith.”
Just believe? I just believe the sun will rise tomorrow. I don’t believe that magic words will fix me. Here again is why we should not teach religion to kids.
Really, hocus pocus.