February 3. St Blaise.  “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man. Kuan was a paramedic. He shared,” Although St Blaise is said to have cured a young boy choking on a fishbone a tradition grew up around blessing of throats of those suffering from diseases of the chest and lungs. TB and diphtheria were life-threatening epidemics in their day, like the coronavirus Covid 19 has been in our day for many months now, although with modern medicine the death-rate is nothing like it was before.  In some communities this blessing on 3 February is still offered but with modern medicine and first aid skills it sometimes seems as if we don’t need God any more.“  Becoming an eco-friendly family:  Help where you can in promoting the importance of vaccination as also being part of God’s loving life-giving plan.

When David’s time to die drew near he charged Solomon his son saying, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.  Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.  1 Kings 2:1-12.  Catechism of the Catholic Church 1622. Suffering and illness have always been among the greatest problems that trouble the human spirit.  Christians feel and experience pain as do all other people, yet their faith helps them to grasp more deeply the mystery of suffering and to bear their pain with great courage.   Part of the plan laid out by God’s providence is that we should fight strenuously against all sickness and carefully seek the blessings of good health so that we may fulfill our role in human society and in the Church.