On September 26 we celebrate the feast of Cosmas and Damien, patron saints of surgeons and physicians. In the tenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, Christ commands his apostles to “heal the sick and say to them, ‘the kingdom of God has come near to you.’” They were supposed to heal the sick even before they preached the Gospel. Mike Aquilina takes a look at this healing imperative and how it ushered in the world of modern medicine.
Mike Aquilina is the author of more than fifty books, including the best-selling The Fathers of the Church: An Introduction to the First Christian Teachers; The Mass of the Early Christians; and How the Choir Converted the World: Through Hymns, With Hymns, In Hymns. His reviews, essays, and journalism have appeared in First Things, Touchstone, National Catholic Register, and elsewhere. Visit fathersofthechurch.com