September 24 — Saints Cosmas and Damian

order thy hands aright, and oleanse thy heart from all offenoe. Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour, and make a fat offering, and then give plaoe to the physioian. For the Lord created him: and let him not depart from thee, for his works are necessary. For there is a time when thou must fall into their hands: and they shall beseech the Lord, that He would prosper what they give for ease and remedy, for their conversation.' 1 These words of the Wise Man are appropriate for this feast. The Churoh obeying the inspired injunction, honours the medioal profession in the persons of Cosmas and Damian, who not only, like many others, 2 sanctified themselves in that oareer; but, far beyond all others, demonstrated to the world how grand a part the physioian may play in Christian society.

Cosmas and Damian had been Christians from their childhood. The study of Hippoorates and Galen developed their love of God, whose invisible perfections they admired reflected in the magnificences of oreation, and especially in the human body His palaoe and His temple. To them, soienoe was a hymn of praise to their Creator, and the exeroise of their art a sacred ministry; they served God in His suffering members, and watohed over His human sanctuary, to preserve it from injury or to repair its ruins. Such a life of religious charity was fittingly crowned by the perfeot saorifioe of martyrdom.

East and west vied with each other in paying homage to the Anargyres? as our saints were oaJled on aooount of their reoeiving no fees for their services. Numerous ohurohes were dedioated to them. The emperor Justinian embellished and fortified the obscure town of Cyrus out of reverence for their saored

1 Ecclufl. xxxviii. 1-14. 2 Dom. A. M. Pournier, Notion sur fe* saintt medecins.

8 Without fe<$,

TIM AFTBB PENTECOST relics there pr eserved ; and about the same time, Pope Felix TV built a church in their honour in the Roman Forum, thus substituting the memory of the twin martyrs for that of the less happy brothers Romulus and Remus. Not long before this, St. Benedict had dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian his first monastery at Subiaco, now known as St. Soholastioa's. But Rome rendered the highest of all honours to the holy Arabian brethren, by placing their names, in preference to so many thousands of her own heroes, in the solemn litanies and on the sacred dyptiohs of the Mass.

In the middle ages the physioians and surgeons banded together into confraternities, whose ooject was the sanctifioation of the members by common prayer, charity towards the destitute, and the aooomplishment of all the duties of their important vooation for the greater glory of God and the greater

Ex>d of suffering humanity. The Society of Saints uke, Cosmas, and Damian has now undertaken in Franoe the renewal of these happy traditions.

The following is the Ohuroh s aooount of the two brothers.

Cosmas et Damianus, fratres Arabes, in JSgea urbi nati, nobiles medici, imperatoribus Diocletiano et Maximiano, non magis medicinae scientia quam Christi virtute, morbis etiam insanabilibus medebantur. Quorum religionem cum Lysias profectus cognovisset, adduci eos ad se jubet, ac de vivendi instituto et de fidei prof essione interrogatos, cum se et Christianos esse, et Christianam fidem esse ad

The brothers Cosmas and Damian were Arabians of noble extraction, born in the town of JEgae. They were physicians; and during the reign of Diocletian and Maximian, healed even incurable maladies by Christ's assistance rather than by their knowledge of medicine. The prefect Lysias, being informed of their religion, ordered them to be brought before him, and questioned them on their faith and their manner of life, They openly de,~ salutem necessariam, libere pradicarent, deos venerari imperat; et si id recusent, minatur cruciatus et necem acerbissimam.

Verum ut se f rustra haec illis proponere intelligit: Colligate, inquit, manus et pedes istorum, eosque exquisitis torquete suppliciis. Quibus jussa exsequentibus, nihilominus Cosmas et Damianus in sententia persistebant. Quare ut erant vincti, in profundum mare jaciuntur: unde cum salvi ac soluti essent egressi, magicis artibus praefectus factum assignans, in carcerem tradit, ac postridie eductos, in ardentem rogum injici jubet: ubi cum ab ipsis flamma refugeret, varie et crudeliter tortos securi percuti voluit. Itaque in Jesu Christi conf essione martyrii palmam acceperunt. clared that they were Christians, and that the Christian faith is necessary to salvation; whereupon Lysias commanded them to adore the gods, threatening them, if they refused, with torture and a cruel death.

But as the prefect saw his threats were in vain: 'Bind their hands and feet,' he cried, 'and torture them with the utmost cruelty.' His commands were executed, but Cosmas and Damian remained firm. They were then thrown, chained as they were, into the sea, but came out safe and loosed from their bonds. The prefect attributing this to magical arts ordered them to prison. The next day, he commanded them to be led forth and thrown on a burning pile, but the flame refused to touch them. Finally, after several other cruel tortures, they were beheaded; and thus confessing Jesus Christ, they won the palm of martyrdom.

In you, 0 illustrious brethren, was fulfilled this saying of the Wise Man: * The skill of the physioian shall lift up his head, and in the sight of great men he shall be praised.' 1 The great ones, in whose sight you are exalted, are the prinoes of the heavenly hierarchies, witnessing to-day the homage paid to you by the Churoh militant. The glory that surrounds your heads is the glory of God Himself, of that boun-

1 JScclus. xzzviii. 3,

TIME AFTSB PENTECOST tiful King, who rewards your former disinterestedness by bestowing upon yon Mis own blessed life.

In the bosom of divine love, your oharity oannot wax oold ; help us, then, and heal the siok who confidently implore your assistance. Preserve the health of God's children, so that they may fulfil their obligations in the world, and may courageously bear the light yoke of the Church's precepts. Bless those physicians who are faithful to their baptism, and who seek your aid ; and increase the number of such.

See how the study of medioine now so often leads astray into the paths of materialism and fatalism, to the great detriment of soienoe and humanity. It is false to assert that simple nature is the explanation of suffering and death; and unfortunate are those whose physicians regard them as mere flesh and blood. Even the pagan sohool took a loftier view than that; and it was surely a higher ideal that inspired you to exercise your art with suoh religious reverence. By the virtue of your glorious death, 0 witnesses to the Lord, obtain for our siokly society a return to the faith, to the remembrance of God, and to that piety which is profitable to all things and to all men, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to oome. 1