We hear the names of Sts. Cosmas and Damian in the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass: Have you ever wondered who they were? While we don’t have tons of information about them, as they lived around 1,700 years ago, here is what we do know:
According to legend, Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers from Syria who worked as physicians, serving the poor at no charge.
Although there are various legends about their lives and the way they died, they were probably killed around the year 287.
Devotion to these martyrs was widespread and, with St. Luke the Evangelist and St. Pantaleon, they are honored as the patron saints of physicians and pharmacists.
As an identical twin, I’ve always felt a little sense of connection to these famous twins. And as I learned more about them in honor of their feast day, I found myself taking away a few powerful lessons from their life.
1The harmony of faith and reason
The unity of faith and reason is one of the most incredible things about being Catholic. Sts. Cosmas and Damian, patron saints of surgeons, are a witness to this unity, since they were medical professionals using the best science of their era to heal the sick.
2Ethical medicine
While science and religion work together beautifully, as we see in the examples of the many Catholic scientists throughout history, science can take a concerning turn when ethics are ignored. The Church promotes a robust understanding of bioethics, and holy doctors like Sts. Cosmas and Damian remind us of the need for moral ethics to guide scientific exploration.
3Radical trust in God
The courage and faithfulness with which Sts. Cosmas and Damian faced martyrdom shows a radical trust in God that we can only hope to imitate. A prayer in their name describes their faith with these powerful words:
Saints Cosmas and Damian,
you gave your lives for the love of God,
benefiting your fellow man, and crowning your martyrdom
with an open and loyal profession of your faith.
4Practicing generosity and charity
One of the things that made Sts. Cosmas and Damian unusual is that they practiced medicine for free, healing the sick without asking for anything in return, except that they might talk to their patients about Jesus. While our own ways of practicing charity will look different, their example is an encouragement to find ways of being generous with our time, talents and treasure.
5“Iron sharpens iron”
The lives of the saints reveal a fascinating pattern: Many saints came in groups, as holy people help each other in their efforts to live as Jesus did. (Here are a lot more saints who were friends in real life!)
The Bible tells us, “Iron is sharpened by iron; one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). Sure enough, these twin brothers helped each other along the path toward Heaven. And it wasn’t just the two of them: Their father died a martyr, and their mother, Theodota, is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church.
Hopefully their example inspires us to encourage the people around us, in our own homes and neighborhoods, along the path to Heaven — and most of all, may they inspire us to seek holiness ourselves. Sts. Cosmas and Damian, pray for us!
