Saints Cosma and Damiano: doctors who treated people for free
Today we will tell you about 2 of the 5 sons of Nicephorus and Theodota, the saints Cosma and Damiano. Both brothers had studied medicine in Syria and practiced in Egea, a city on the Gulf of Alexandretta. Although not much is known about these 2 brothers, people remember them as two brave and generous people, so much so that they didn't get paid for their services. Cosma and Damiano put the good of their neighbor before their own.
these 2 martyrs they didn't just heal the body, but also the spirit, spreading the word of Jesus and praying for all who turned to them for help. By medicating men, women and children, they succeeded in converting many people to the Catholicism.
The martyrdom of Cosmas and Damian
Il martyrdom of the two brothers is among the most cruel and gory ever depicted in history. According to reports, they came stoned, flogged, crucified and darts and spears were thrown at him, to be burned and thrown into the sea with a stone tied around your neck.
These 2 saints seemed though not could die. The rocks bounced against their bodies, the arrows they came back against whoever had thrown them, the angels they untied the bindings with which they had been blindfolded before being thrown into the sea and flames they roared at their tormentors.
Finally, when the tormentors saw that nothing was effective, they they beheaded. The same sad end also befell their younger brothers.
Loved in life as in death, the two saints were buried in Cyrus in Cilicia and a shrine was erected in their honor, visited by innumerable pilgrims. even theEmperor Justinian thanks to them he obtained a miraculous healing and ordered that the sanctuary dedicated to them be enlarged and transformed into basilica.
Cosma and Damiano were the last saints to have the honor of being included in the canon of the Tridentine Mass, which lists the names of the Apostles followed by those of twelve martyrs.
The lesson that Cosma and Damiano leave us is that love and compassion are priceless. They teach us that the true meaning of being doctors is to serve others without ulterior motives and without asking for anything in return, just for the pleasure of seeing others healed and happy.