The suffering of the holy martyrs Cosmas and Damian

After the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ our God in the flesh on earth, the exploits of the holy martyrs of Christ became everywhere known as a most marvelous deed; for in them the power of the Savior was manifested; the courageous resistance of the saints to their tormentors and their invincible patience were marvelous to all.

Among these martyrs were those who were born in ancient Rome of one father and one mother and were brought up in the rules of Christian piety, <unk> brothers by flesh <unk> the saints Cosmas and Damian, about whom we will speak. These holy brothers, having learned the art of medicine, successfully cured all kinds of diseases, and the grace of God himself was with them in all things.

These skilled healers were called "free physicians" because they did not charge anyone for their healings, requiring only the most precious reward - faith in Christ.

In fact, not only in Rome but also in the surrounding towns and villages did Paul and Barnabas travel around, healing many people, and besides the grace of healing, they also gave generously to the poor.

They had a lot of money from their ancestors, and they sold it, and they gave it to the poor and needy, and they fed the thirsty, and they clothed the naked, and in a word, they showed mercy to all the poor and the needy.

not by our own power but by the power of the one true God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom you were healed through faith.

These holy physicians lived in one of the Roman villages (where their parents owned a manor).

But the devil being envious of the lives of the saints, who were full of virtue, stirred up some of his servants to go to the king, and to slander the innocent before him. At that time Carinus reigned in Rome. This last, hearing the slanderers, immediately sent soldiers into the village where the saints lived, with the order to seize the unpaid doctors Cosmus and Damian and bring them to him for questioning.

When the king's soldiers came to the village where the saints lived, and began to inquire about Cosmas and Damian, the believers gathered to the saints and begged them to hide somewhere for a short time until the king's anger passed over them.

And when the soldiers had searched diligently, and found them not, they took some godfearing men of the city, and brought them into chains, and brought them to Rome.

When the saints Cosmas and Damian heard of it, they came forth from the cave, and ran in haste after the soldiers, and pursuing the latter on the road, said to them, Let the innocent go, and take us, for we are the ones whom you are commanded to take.

And when it was day, the king sat in the judgment-seat, which was in the theatre, and brought them before the king, and said,

Yea, ye have transgressed against the gods of your fathers, and have made the sickness of man and of beast to cease, and have made the law of the gods of your fathers to cease; and now turn again, and hearken unto my good counsel, and come, sacrifice to the gods that have been long-suffering unto you.

God does not repay evil for evil, when you are suffering. He has the power to punish evil with evil. He is patient, waiting for you to repent.

(Matthew 10:8) And we do this free of charge, because the Savior commanded us: "You received free, give free". - Matthew 10:8.

For we do not demand riches, but we seek the salvation of human souls, and we serve the poor and weak like Christ himself, for he takes upon himself the care that is given for the sake of the first, saying to the good-doers: "I was thirsty, and you gave me something to eat; I was a stranger, and you gave me something to drink; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me". - Matt. 25:35-36.

We do not worship what you call gods. We know that they are not gods.

For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

I did not call you to steal, but to sacrifice to the gods.

We offer, the saints replied, the bloodless sacrifice of our souls to our one God, who delivered us from the clutches of the devil and gave his only begotten Son for the redemption of the whole world.

"Do not provoke the eternal gods", said Karin, "but rather sacrifice and worship them, or you will suffer the punishment already prepared for you.

"Be ashamed of your gods", said the servants of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, "because you turned your mind from the living and everlasting God to idols that do not feel and never existed, so that you may be ashamed and have your own experience that our God is almighty.

And as the saints were saying these words, suddenly the countenance of Karin was changed, and his neck was folded, so that his face was upon his shoulders, and he could not turn his neck, nor was there any to help him, so that he sat upon his throne with his neck and his face crooked, and he looked upon the people, and cried with a loud voice: Great is the God of the Christians, and there is no other God but Him.

Now I know that you are the servants of the true God. I beg you, heal me, too, since you have healed many, so that I may believe that there is no other God besides the one you preach, the Creator of heaven and earth.

"If you know the Lord who gives you life and the kingdom of God, and believe in him with all your heart, he will heal you".

And it came to pass, as the king had spoken these words, that his neck was straightened, and his face was as before; and he rose up from his place, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and lifted up his hands, and blessed God with all the people, saying, Blessed art thou, Christ, God, who hast brought me out of darkness into light by the hand of thy holy servants.

When the people of that city and the surrounding countryside heard what had happened, they went out to meet them, rejoicing and praising the Lord Jesus.

The saints, meanwhile, as was their custom, went round the surrounding towns and villages again, healing the sick and educating all in the holy faith, and then returned again to their village.

In that country there was a very famous physician, from whom the saints Cosmas and Damian had originally studied the art of medicine, and he was taught by the enemy of mankind, who did not tolerate the glory of those who please God, to envy the saints. Having called the saints to him with flattery, he dragged them as if for the purpose of gathering medicinal plants, to the mountain, hiding among other things in his heart the thought of Cain.

(Genesis 4:1-16) This event is what is meant in life.]] After taking away the saints, he arranged for each one to gather plants separately.

Then, attacking first one, he stoned him, and then killed the other in the same way; after all, he took the bodies of the saints and hid them by the well there [the end of the unpaid doctors Cosmas and Damian followed in 284 C.E.]

Thus the holy martyrs of Christ, Cosmas and Damian, unpaid physicians, accepted the death of their lives and became like martyr's crowns from Christ our Lord and Savior, to whom be honor and glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen.