Next Monday we celebrate the feast day of two of the saints mentioned in the Roman Canon – the first Eucharistic prayer. Although we know little about Cosmas and Damian beyond the probability that they were martyred in Syria during one of the persecutions of the Church, they remain popular because of their association with medicine. For centuries they have been invoked as the patron saint of physicians and many medical societies witness to this fact.
They show us the true approach to suffering, pain and healing. We do not believe – unlike some sects – that somehow medicine is unnecessary. We don’t think that it’s really a question of ‘mind over matter’. Rather we realise that both physical and spiritual have to be taken into account when dealing with suffering. The human person is not just a machine, we have a spiritual dimension as well. That’s why we pray for and with the sick. That’s why we anoint the sick with oil. Not as a substitute for medicine but as a help to it. Both the priest and the physician have a role to play in bringing us to health.
May Cosmas and Damian pray for all those who work to relieve pain and suffering.
Reflections 