St. Blaise - celebrated February 11

Another post from my OrthodoXCircle blog from February 12, 2008.

The Saints are truly alive! Miracle story!

This may sound silly, but I am positive that it was a miracle done at the intercession of St. Blaise of Sebaste. On Sunday night, Feb. 10, 2008 I was reading my brown Synaxarion (Ormyllia Convent, Greece) before falling asleep as I often do. I was reading about St. Blaise who celebrated the next day. Part of his story reads, "A distraught mother brought him her child, who was choking to death on a fishbone. The Saint put his hand down the child's throat and took out the fishbone. He prayed to the Lord to restore the child to health, as well as all those who hin time to come would invoke his intercession in case of similar accidents....When he and the two undaunted children were condemned to be beheaded, St. Blaise, shining with the divine light, sent up a prayer on behalf of all who in time to come would call for his aid in illnesses and trials. Thereupon the Lord appeared to him in all His glory, saying, 'I have heard your prayer and grant your request.'" Well...after I had finished reading I put the book away, pulled my blanket over me and turned out my light. As I was lying there in the dark, my foot started to have a really bad cramp, and it really hurt. I pulled my leg up and started rubbing my foot to try to get the cramp to go away. It came and went for about...oh, maybe 10-15 seconds. Then one time when I was rubbing it, I just thought (I think I whispered it too) something along these lines, "St. Blaise, I know you're the patron of people with throat problems, and this really isn't about my throat at all, but God promised to grant your prayers for illnesses, and He can't go back on His promises, so just...get this cramp to go away! please! And while you're at it, could you please get this cold and sore throat to go away? Please!" [I had had a really bad cold and sore throat so I could barely talk and I wasn't able to chant on Sunday morning.] And then after about 1-1/2 seconds the cramp went away and didn't come back. When I woke up the next day, I still had a cold, but my throat was better, and I could talk. Truly, God is wonderful in His Saints! Holy Hierarch of God, Blaise, intercede for us!