Thoughts to live by: St. Luke

18 Oct, Fri, 28th Week in Ordinary Time

1. His name means “bringer of light.”

Flourishing in the 1st century AD, St. Luke is, together with Mark, Matthew, and John, one of the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical Gospels. St. Irenaeus and the early Church Fathers, ascribed to him authorship of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Information about his life and death is scanty. Information that Luke was one of the 70 disciples (see Lk. 10, the only account of Jesus sending a specific number on mission; some old texts read 72 disciples) and was a companion of Cleopas appears to be legendary. He is the patron saint of physicians and artists.

2. The church historian, Eusebius, wrote that St. Luke was a native of the Hellenistic city of Antioch, the capital of Syria.

He was not a Jew, because St. Paul writes of Luke as separated from those “of the circumcision” (cf. Col. 4:10-11, 14). He was a Greek, born of a Greek family, though some scholars believe he was a Hellenic Jew. He was well acquainted with the Septuagint and of things Jewish, perhaps acquired when he was a Jewish proselyte or learned from the Apostles and disciples after his conversion.

3. Luke-Acts were probably composed during or shortly after the Jewish revolt (66-73 AD).

It has been widely accepted that the theology of of Luke-Acts points to a Gentile Christian writing for a Gentile audience. But some scholars opine that Luke directed his writings to a community made up of both Jewish and Gentile Christians, since there is a stress on the scriptural roots of the Gentile mission (e.g., the use of Is. 49:6 in Luke-Acts). Whether Jew or Gentile, scholars universally acclaim that Luke was one of the most highly educated of the authors of the New Testament.

4. He was a physician by profession and Paul calls him “the most dear physician” (Col. 4:4).

Luke’s earliest mention is in St. Paul’s Epistle to Philemon, 1:24. In Acts, he first appears in Troas (Acts 16:8 ff). There he meets Paul and later crossed over with him to Europe as evangelist, landing at Neapolis and going on to Philippi, “being assured that God had called us [note the transition into first person plural] to preach the Gospel to them.” He was, therefore, already an evengelist.

5. Luke’s repeated use of the word “we” in Acts indicates that he was personally present at many of Paul’s mission.

He was at the conversion of Lydia and her companions, and lodged in her house. While with St Paul and his companions, they were recognized as “servants of the most high God, who preach … the way of salvation.” He saw Paul and Silas arrested, dragged before the Roman magistrates, charged with disturbing the city, being Jews, beaten with rods, and imprisoned. Luke and Timothy escaped, probably because they did not look like Jews.

6. When Paul departed from Philippi, St. Luke was left behind to continue his evangelizing work.

He probably remained at Philippi during the three years that Paul was engaged at Ephesus. St. Jerome thinks that St. Luke is “the brother, whose praise is in the gospel through all the churches” (2 Cor. 8:8). When Paul returned from Greece, St Luke accompanied him to Troas, and made the long voyage, described in Acts 20. He went up to Jerusalem, saw the attack on Paul and heard him speaking “in the Hebrew tongue,” outside the fortress Antonia, to the silenced crowd. Then he witnessed the rage and frenzy of the crowd against St. Paul.

7. The reliability of St. Luke’s narratives depends on his scholarship, “having diligently attained to all things from the beginning,” concerning the Gospel and early Acts, to write in order what had been delivered by those “who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word” (Lk. 1:2-3).

Here he excludes himself as an eyewitness of the account of Jesus. To St. Luke’s Gospel we owe much of our knowledge of Christ’s childhood and some precious details of Our Lady. His word-picture of Mary as Virgin and Mother is much more evocative and inspiring than the painted image that is attributed to him. Luke was principally concerned with salvation and mercy. He preserved some of the most touching of our Lord’s parables, for example those of the lost sheep and the prodigal son. Dante calls him “the historian of Christ’s meekness.”

8. He and Aristarchus accompanied Paul Caesarea, Crete and Malta. From there, they went on to Rome.

During the two years that Paul was imprisoned in Rome, St. Luke frequently visited him, and was with him at the time of his martyrdom (see 2 Tm. 4:11). He may have contributed to the writing of the Epistle to the Hebrews. He was present when the Epistles to Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon were written and is mentioned in the salutations in Colossians (Col. 4:14) and Philemon ((Philem. v. 24). In the 3 places where he is mentioned in Paul’s Epistles (Colossians, Philemon, and 2 Tm. 4:11), he is mentioned with St. Mark. He was well acquainted with the Gospel of St. Mark, the details of Peter’s delivery, what happened at the home of Mark’s mother, and the name of the girl who ran to the outer door when St. Peter knocked.

9. St. Luke was unmarried.

He wrote his Gospel in Achaia, preached in Dalmatia, Gallia, Italy and Macedonia. He died at the age of 84 in Bithynia (Boeotia?). It is uncertain whether he died as a martyr. His tomb was discovered in Thebes and his relics were transferred to Constantinople in 357. In summary, in the midst of many other claims, the relics of St. Luke are located as follows: the body in the Abbey of Santa Giustina in Padua; the head in the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague; a rib, at his tomb at the Holy Church of Luke the Evangelist in Thebes. DNA examination showed that the remains were of a man of Syrian descent. Among the 4 living creatures of Ezekiel’s vision (see Ez. 1), the winged ox represents Luke. It is a sacrificial animal and points out the stress of St. Luke’s Gospel on the sacrificial nature of Christ’s ministry. His Gospel likewise begins with the story of Zachary, the priest, the father of John the Baptist.

10. A picture of the Virgin Mary in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, is ascribed to him.

Writing circa 180 AD, Irenaeus ascribes the Gospel to Luke. Scholars say that the Gospel of Luke is the most literary of the Gospels and shows a great command of Greek. The 2 books of Luke-Acts account for 27.5% of the New Testament, the largest contribution by a single author.

11. Prayer

Lord God, you chose St. Luke to reveal by his preaching and writings the mystery of your love for the poor. Grant, we pray, that we who already glory in your name may persevere as one heart and soul and that all nations may enjoy the salvation that he preached. This we ask through his intercession in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.

Prayers, best wishes, God bless!