Their names are in the Roman canon: “In communion with those whose memory we venerate,… your blessed apostles and martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew,… Cosmas and Damian and all your saints.” Today’s saints are twin brothers who practiced medicine and surgery for free, and thus called “unmercenaries” or “silverless” in Greek, in order to bring people to the Christian faith. Sts. Cosmas and Damian were Arabs living in the Roman province of Cilicia, which today is the southern coast of Turkey. They were martyred during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian in the late third or early fourth century. Diocletian tried to exterminate Christianity from the Roman Empire and was quite successful in raising martyrs to God, including Cosmas and Damian by beheading. Although this is the extent of what is known about them, their story became popular and they were venerated widely throughout Europe.
We honor Sts. Cosmas and Damian because of their willingness to suffer and die as Jesus did. However, they were missionary disciples using their skill in medicine to heal for free as Jesus did. “The Catholic Church is the world's largest non-governmental provider of health care….” “It can be said in general, however, that Catholic hospitals provide a great deal of free or poorly compensated inpatient care and primary care services through clinics and medical outreach programs for the uninsured. Often, Catholic hospitals become known as a ‘provider of last resort’ for uninsured and underinsured citizens.”
Visit the sick is one of the corporal works of mercy as prescribed in Mt. 25:31-46. We can follow the examples of Sts. Cosmas and Damian by healing others, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. We may dedicate ourselves to the healing ministries or those who are in our lives. Sts. Cosmas and Damian, pray for us!
The Martyrdom of Saints Cosmas and Damian by Fra Angelico licensed under Public Domain.
What if your doctor did not charge you for services rendered because the doctor was Christian? Would that cause you to pay a little more attention to the beliefs? Sts. Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers and physicians who did not charge for their services. By their charity many were attracted to Christianity. They were arrested and martyred during the reign of Emperor Diocletian in the third century, who had conducted the most systematic and oppressive persecution of the Roman era. Reports of their martyrdoms spread quickly and they were venerated in both the East and West. They are included in the Roman canon of the Mass: “In communion with those whose memory we venerate, especially the glorious ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, † and blessed Joseph, her Spouse, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, … Cosmas and Damian and all your Saints; we ask that through their merits and prayers, in all things we may be defended by your protecting help.”
So what can we learn from them? Do we offer our services for free? That does occur in many fields including the legal, financial, and medical professions. The term used for this is pro bono, short for pro bono publico, “for the public good.” That is one thing to gain, but Sts. Cosmas and Damian did not practice medicine for free just for the public good. They offered their services because they were disciples of Christ. We are called to be disciples of Christ in our homes, in our parishes, in our workplaces, and in our communities. Are people attracted to Christianity because of who we are and what we do as disciples? If so, we have won souls to Jesus. If not, why not, pray tell? Sts. Cosmas and Damian, pray for us.
