Homily on Saturday, 25th week in OT; 26 September 2026, DBPH Chapel Talamban
For several weeks now, we have been meditating on the gospel written by St Luke and have been getting to know Jesus more deeply from the perspective of this evangelist.
Today the passage we have just heard presents Jesus predicting his passion for the second time. He said: “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” It is interesting to notice the context in which he foretells his future destiny. St Luke stated it very clearly at the beginning of the passage “While they were all amazed at his every deed…” All the while Jesus’ disciples had been awed and astonished by his kindheartedness and the wonderful works he had been doing for the sick, the needy and the poor.
However, St Luke also tells us that Jesus was well aware of the stark reality. Life is not always a bed of roses, neither is his ministry a walk in the park. Lest his disciples think that being with Him meant like spending an eternal honeymoon he tried to open their eyes and ears to the unavoidable truth of his impending passion and violent death. And he emphasized this by telling them to pay attention to what he was telling them.
Let’s reflect on this. Are we sometimes like the disciples who get obsessed with our own gifts, blessings, successes such that we fail to foresee the trials and sufferings that we may have to face in life as followers of Christ? Let’s be honest, many of us here are already experiencing the harshness of our deteriorating health, sickness, old age or even the unexpected hurts coming from those closest to us.
Today we celebrate the memorial of two Arab saints who were twins, Sts. Cosmas and Damian. We know very little about them except that both of them were physicians by profession. What amazes us is that out of their magnanimous hearts they offered their services for free, particularly to the sick, the infirm and the suffering. And because of that, they attracted many people to the Christian faith, notwithstanding the difficulties posed by the persecution. Eventually they themselves suffered much towards the end of the third century persecution and they died as martyrs under Emperor Diocletian.
But here is an interesting fact about these two saints. A 15th-century Italian physician named Saladino d’Ascoli claims that these twin doctors were able to invent a particular medicine called opopira magna, a complex medicinal compound used to treat diverse maladies including paralysis, and infections of the eyes, mouth, throat, hands and feet. In other words, Cosmas and Damian were considered geniuses in the field of medicine, with spiritually “enlarge hearts”. Today these saintly doctors are still greatly venerated in the Church both in the East and in the West, as patron saints of physicians, surgeons, pharmacists and dentists.
In this Eucharist let us pray for those among us who are sick and aging, that God’s healing grace may be ours through the intercession of Sts Cosmas and Damian. We also pray for doctors, nurses and all other medical practitioners. A good number of them are serving the sick pro bono without accepting any payment. Let us pray that the Lord may generously reward their magnanimous heart and keep them always protected as they continue to serve others silently and selflessly. GiGsss!