This year the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist falls on the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. On traditional prayer book calendars, the feasts of gospel writers or evangelists are major feasts. So this week we focus on this important early Christian.
Luke was a Gentile Christian, maybe from Antioch in Syria. He was a friend of St. Paul, and was a physician (Colossians 4:14). In the Book of Acts, he was with Paul at Philippi in Macedonia, and a few years later went with Paul to Jerusalem. When the Romans arrested the Apostle, Luke stayed near him in Palestine, and later went with him to Rome. This faithful companion stayed with Paul when other friends scattered in different directions (2 Timothy 4:11).
Luke wrote a significant portion of the New Testament, a two-volume work comprising the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Luke was probably the only Gentile Christian among the New Testament writers and appears to have been well-educated. He had a classic Greek style and seemed to be a reasonable thinker who made special effort to learn and organize historical facts.
Luke' personality may be reflected by some of the emphases of his Gospel. The Gospel according to St Luke has been called the Gospel of Mercy. Luke emphasizes Jesus' compassion and patience with sinners and the suffering. He shows special interest in Samaritans, lepers, tax collectors, soldiers, public sinners, uneducated shepherds, and the poor.
Today we remember and give thanks for St. Luke, and we hope to follow his good qualities. Like him, may we be characterized by dedication to truth, loyalty to Christian friends, and compassion for all- especially, the weak, the poor, and the sick.
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