Post of the Day - Saints Cosmas and Damien

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Saints Cosmas and Damian are venerated as a type of saint known as Unmercenary Physicians ("without money"). This classification of saints is unique to the Eastern Church and refers to those who heal purely out of love (Matthew 10:8) While each of the Unmercenaries have their own feast days, all are commemorated together on the first Sunday in November, in a feast known as the Synaxis of the Unmercenary Physicians.
The Orthodox celebrate no less than three different sets of saints by the name of Cosmas and Damian, each with its own distinct feast day:

• Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor — alternately, of Mesopotamia (November 1) Twin sons of Saint Theodota. Died peacefully and were buried together at Thereman in Mesopotamia.

Orthodox icons of the saints depict them vested as laymen holding medicine boxes. Often each will also hold a spoon with which to dispense medicine. The handle of the spoon is normally shaped like a cross to indicate the importance of spiritual as well as physical healing, and that all cures come from God.
In Russia since 17th century there was a priestly Kosmodemyansky family. Their family name was constructed by joining the names of Saints Cosmas and Damian (Kosma and Demyan in Russian). The family includes Saint Pyotr Kosmodemyansky (1872–1918), a priest murdered by militant atheists for his opposition to blasphemy, and his granddaughter Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya (1923–1941), the most revered martyr of the Soviet Union.

Prayer to Sts. Cosmas and Damien

Oh glorious martyrs of Christ,
Saints Cosmas and Damian, 
you gave your lives for the love of God,
benefiting your fellow man,
and crowning your martyrdom with an open and loyal profession of your faith.
You taught us to love God above all things,
and to love our fellow man as ourselves,
professing always,
and without fear,
the religion of Jesus.

Augmenting amongst the faithful populace many miracles,
you are glorious indeed.
Through your intercession,
which brings about deliverance of these miracles,
we pray to you for your aid in all things.
May your patronage never be far from us in the illness of our body and soul.

Oh great protectors,
Saints Cosmas & Damian,
assist us with your love and free us from all evils.