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Homily for the Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian
Gospel: Luke 9:18–22
Today’s Gospel gives us one of
those moments when Jesus predicts his Passion. Notice how, throughout the
Gospels, he reveals this little by little. At first he calls himself the “Son
of Man.” Later, he speaks more plainly in the first person. It is as though the
disciples could only take the truth in stages: first a glimpse, then a fuller
picture, until they could finally face the reality of the cross.
Here in Luke, he asks his
disciples two questions: “Who do the
crowds say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds: “You are the Christ of God.” Immediately, Jesus explains what that
means—not earthly triumph, but rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection.
To confess Christ is to accept the mystery of the cross.
The Healing Witness of Cosmas
and Damian
Today we celebrate Saints
Cosmas and Damian, twin brothers who lived in the early Church. They were
physicians, and they became known as the anargyroi
—“the silverless”—because they refused payment for their medical care. They saw
their work as a vocation of service, healing both body and soul. And they
sealed their witness with their martyrdom under the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s
persecution.
Their example is striking. They did not measure their service in terms of money, time, or earthly success. They simply gave what they had, freely, as Christ gave himself freely for us.
What Do We Expect of Doctors?
What do we expect of doctors and nurses today? Patients often carry into the hospital not only their sickness, but also their deepest fears. They may even speak of God when they speak of their doctors. Why? Partly because when we are afraid, we naturally turn to God. But also because we look to physicians with an almost sacred trust.
Of course, doctors are not God. But they are called to reflect something of God’s mercy. Their vocation asks them to go beyond the usual measures:
___Beyond time, because the patient
before them deserves more than the clock allows.
__ Beyond money, because care of
the sick is never just a business.
___And even beyond earthly
results, because the outcome is finally in God’s hands.
Isn’t that what Christ himself shows us? He gives us his love without limit, without cost, and without conditions. In the Eucharist, he feeds us with his very Body, asking nothing in return but our faith.
Lessons for All of Us
Now, you and I may not be doctors or nurses. But every Christian is called to serve as Cosmas and Damian served, and to love as Christ loved: without asking, “What do I get back?”
So let me ask you and MYSELF:
What lessons can you and I take from
Cosmas and Damian’s selfless service?
How can you and I reflect God’s love in our own vocations—whether as parents, teachers, caregivers, or neighbors?
And when people look at you and me,
will they see someone united to Christ’s Passion and Resurrection?
Jesus’ question still echoes today: “Who do you say that I am?” But there is another question too: “Who do others say that you are?” Do they see in me (you) only someone worried about time, money, and results? Or do they see someone who serves with Christlike generosity?
Conclusion
Saints Cosmas and Damian
remind us that our faith is not just words; it is a vocation to love without
cost. Their lives mirrored the Passion they proclaimed: they gave healing
freely, and in the end, they gave their very lives for Christ.
May we, too, answer Jesus’
question with our lips and with our lives: “You are the Christ of God.” And may our own lives bear witness that we
belong to him—through the way we serve, the way we love, and the way we place
even the results in God’s hands.
Saints Cosmas and Damian, pray for us.
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