We remember Saints Cosmas and Damian September 26th. Tradition says the two brothers practiced medicine in Syria in the fourth century and were martyred during the reign of Diocletian. They gave their medical services freely to anyone in need, and so followed Jesus’ teaching, “Freely you have been given, freely give. “ (Matthew 10:8)  Besides caring for bodily needs they prayed for those they cared for.

The brothers were honored widely from earliest times in the Christian churches of the east and west. In the  7th century mosaic in the church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the Roman Forum they’re shown as good and faithful physicians being presented to Christ holding their medicine boxes in their hands. A reward waits for them.They’re patrons of doctors, pharmacists, nurses, barbers. 

Though there is no exact historical information about them, Cosmas and Damian are examples of holiness. Care for the sick and suffering were an important part of the ministry of Jesus, who often cured them and returned them to their families and communities. In his ministry, Jesus had special care for the sick and suffering. He often showed his concern in miraculous cures that restored them to their families and communities. Those who heal and care for the sick and suffering– whether doctors, nurses, people involved in medical research, caregivers of every kind– follow him in what they do.

Cosmas and Damian remind us health care  is more than a job you may– or may not – get paid for. It’s sharing in the divine power to heal. “I was sick and you visited me,” Jesus says at judgment time. Health care is vital to every society and culture.

The scant historical evidence about Saints Cosmas and Damian is more than compensated by their early popularity in the churches of the east and west. Why were they and the churches built to honor them, like that in Rome, so popular?

The church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Rome stands a few hundred yards away from the Roman Senate, replacing a basilica honoring one of the gods of Rome. It was built in the 6th century by Pope Felix II, a relative of Gregory the Great, at a time when Rome’s economy plunged because of barbarian invasions. Hard times often affect the poor and the sick most.

Was the church a reminder to Rome’s leaders nearby that health care is a basic human right to be prioritized and supported. I think so. Health care is still a burning issue today as we expand our military budgets and pull away from our care of the planet and its poor.

Saints Cosmas and Damian, pray for us.