By Fr. George Dorbarakis
Saint Blaise lived during the reign of Emperor Licinius (early 4th century A.D.). He was Bishop of Sebaste and dwelt in one of the caves of Mount Argaeus. On this mountain the wild animals were tamed by the Saint’s blessing and appeared gentle. Because he was also skilled in medical science, he performed many healings, having received from the Lord the grace of working miracles.
However, he was arrested and brought before the governor Agricolaus. He confessed the name of Christ, and for this the governor ordered that he be beaten with rods, suspended on a cross, and torn with iron claws. Then, as they were leading him to prison, seven women followed him; their heads were cut off as well, because they too confessed that Christ is God. As for Saint Blaise, after they threw him into the depths of a lake — without his suffering any harm whatsoever — they eventually cut off his head, together with two infants who were in the prison.
It is said that he was the steward of the decree of the Great Martyr Eustratios at the time of that martyr’s suffering, as Saint Blaise is depicted standing on an old cloth among the five holy martyrs, very near Saint Eustratios, receiving from his hand the scroll of the decree.
Saint Blaise is regarded as a twofold protector of people: for illnesses of the throat and for protection from attacks of wild animals, especially wolves and jackals. The explanation is readily found in his synaxarion: he was a physician, and he himself was martyred by the cutting off of his head; moreover, on the mountain where he lived he tamed wild animals.
The hymnography of our Church notes, regarding the first, in verses from his synaxarion:
“Blaise’s throat was cut by the sword,
Thus he heals the ailments of those who suffer in their throats.”
Regarding the second, from a sticheron of Vespers:
“We praise you, Blaise, as one who cares for all, both rational beings animals who suffer.”
The recorded miracles of the Saint in this “specialty” are countless. It is already mentioned that as he was going to his martyrdom he healed, by the touch of his hand, a child who had become speechless and was in danger of dying from suffocation because a fishbone had become lodged in his throat. This contributed to his being regarded as the protector against throat ailments. The folklore of our homeland also recounts many stories and customs that highlight the Saint’s protection from wild animals.
Saint Joseph the Hymnographer, however, is not primarily concerned with the above. What he emphasizes is the Saint’s life in Christ, namely, that he was a divinely-inspired hierarch of great activity and that he suffered martyrdom for his faith in Christ. The reason for this was that he sought to live what he continually studied in the Holy Scriptures, especially the words of the Apostle Paul: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Indeed, Christ was the center of his existence, which he demonstrated even by his martyrdom.
In one of the stichera of Vespers we read:
“Christ was your life, O all-blessed one, and death truly was shown to be gain through your faith, according to the great Paul, O God-minded Blaise, since for His sake you most eagerly died.”
Living in Christ, therefore, the Saint was wholly illumined by His light, and thus this light spread everywhere: through the lightning flashes of his preaching, through the radiance of his miracles, and through the brightness of his martyrdom. For the Hymnographer, Saint Blaise is like a spiritual sun, near whom all things shone.
“You diminished the night of godlessness with the lightning flashes of your sacred preaching, O luminary, and you were shown adorned with the splendor of miracles and the brightness of martyrdom; therefore you illumine all creation.”
This light of Christ that filled him — first his heart and then his whole being — enabled the Saint to overcome all the obstacles that the evil devil placed in his path. For the Holy Hymnographer, the matter is clear: the evil one always sets, and will always set, obstacles before man — especially before the faithful who wish to follow the Lord consistently. Yet the faithful person can, and always will be able to, overcome these obstacles in one way only: by being united to the source of strength and light, the Lord Himself. This means that, struggling along the path of purification of the heart from the passions, one perceives His presence within.
“Having acquired a heart full of divine illumination, you easily passed over the stumbling blocks of delusion, overthrowing the assaults of the enemies, O wise one, by your presence.”
This recalls what we read in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers about the great Saint Anthony, who said: “I saw the snares of the devil spread out over the earth, and I groaned and said: Who can pass through them without falling? And I heard a voice saying: Only the humble.”
The humble person is the purified and illumined one, who becomes all-powerful through Christ. Our Church always proclaims this truth — and today especially through the example of the Holy Hieromartyr Blaise.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
