Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist
Who was Saint Luke?
Studying the Scriptures of the New Testament, we meet St. Luke from Antioch in Syria, an educated man, a doctor by profession (cf. Col 4:14), who left behind two priceless mementoes: the Gospel and the Book of Acts. This Books earned him the gratitude of the entire Christian world. He accepted Christianity quite early, most likely in Antioch. He was not part of the group of seventy-two disciples of Jesus, and there is little evidence to prove the truth that He was one of the two disciples going to Emmaus after Jesus' Resurrection. Some exegetes wondered why Luke mentioned Cleophas and not the other disciple, is it he himself? (Luke 24:18). Around 50, he met St. Paul the Apostle and joined him as a disciple and traveling physician. There are many unknowns in Luke’s biography.
It is true that he accompanied Paul on his second apostolic journey (cf. Acts 16: 10-17), but why only in Troas? Paul took him on a long missionary journey (cf. Acts 16: 10-17), but left him in Philippi, and again it is unknown why. He was also on the third missionary journey, and after its completion in AD 58 he came with St. Paul to Jerusalem (cf. Acts 21:17). Since then, he did not leave St. Paul, and on the eve of his death, when "all forsook him" (cf. 2 Tim 4:16), St Paul gave the most beautiful testimony of Luke: "Luke is with me ..." (cf. 2 Tim 4:11). The books of the Bible do not mention what Luke did after the martyrdom of St. Paul. The Christian tradition mentioned the places: Achaia, Gaul, Macedonia, where Luke was to proclaim the Good News, but there is no historical and exegetical evidence to confirm this information. There is also no evidence to support the ancient testimony that he was martyred in Bithynia around 84 AD.
St. Luke as an Evangelist and Author of the Acts of the Apostles
Considering the preface (cf. Lk 1: 1-4) that Luke began his work and comparing it with the first words of the book of Acts, it should be concluded that this Gospel is the "first volume" of a two-part work: the Gospels and Acts, compiled by one author and dedicated to Theophilus. This character does not appear in other books of the Bible. As a disciple of St. Paul took his teaching and showed in his Gospel, like his master, and earlier the great prophet of the Old Testament, Isaiah, the universalism of salvation that will be perceived by all people (Lk 3: 6). In his Gospel, Luke showed in abundance the goodness of Jesus, his frequent prayers: during his baptism (3:21), in a deserted place (5:16), all night before the election of the Apostles (6:12), in the presence of the disciples (9, 18), on the mountain during the transfiguration (9:29), taught the prayers of his disciples (11: 1-4), on the cross he prayed with the words: "Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit" (23:46). He also showed the goodness of Jesus towards the poor, the handicapped, and those who were despised because of the profession of a tax collector, and this was the case with Matthew (5: 27-32), he also showed the goodness of Jesus towards converted sinners (7 :36-50), therefore in his Gospel there was a parable about the lost drachma and the prodigal son (15: 8-32).
The prologue to the Gospels testifies to the fact that he was based on other gospels, on information collected from eyewitnesses and servants of the word (1: 1-2). The recipients of the third Gospel were the Greeks, therefore in his Gospel he avoids anything that would make it difficult for his readers to understand the words of the good news, while he precisely explained the Jewish customs, avoided some terms, e.g., "pagan", he often changed Aramaic expressions into Greek so as not to discourage those for whom he intended the Gospel.
In Luke's version of the Gospels, it is easy to notice the rich, flexible, and beautiful language he uses. This proves that he was an educated man, and the father of Exegesis, St. Jerome, recognized him as having the best knowledge of the Greek language, unlike the other Apostles. In a way that transcends the narrative forms of other Evangelists, Luke speaks seventeen times in the Gospels and fifty-seven times in Acts about the influence of the Holy Spirit on Jesus and His followers.
In Pentecost he sees the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises about the "pouring out of the Spirit on all people" (Joel 3: 1). That is why some biblical scholars refer to the Acts of the Apostles as "the fifth Gospel" or the Gospel of the Holy Spirit. Some might ask why this work is called the Book of Acts? This title is justified because the first part speaks of the Apostles as a College, and although it highlights Peter and Paul, it is because they were most involved in the work of bringing Christianity to pagan centers. The author was very anxious to show how the Apostles understood the mission entrusted to them by Jesus after the Resurrection: "Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you. I am with you every day, until the end of the age "(cf. Mt 28: 19-20). The Acts of the Apostles, although they only describe the life of the early Church in fragments, are for us the only source of getting to know people and events related to the rise of Christianity.
Why St. Luke is Patron Saint of Health Care Workers?
The Catholic Church has been connecting St. Luke with the memory of doctors and health services, i.e., those who care for the health and life of others. Such a day was chosen correctly, because it is certain, and the tradition and the New Testament show that Luke was a converted Antiochian doctor, a Greek by origin. The events that he described in detail in his Gospel, which concerned the health of people, testify to the pursuit of such a profession. Therefore, in this Gospel there are detailed healings of, for example, Peter's mother-in-law, suffering from a high fever, and also other healings performed on this occasion (4: 38-41). He talks about the healing of a leper (5: 12-14), a paralytic (5: 17-26), about the healing on the Sabbath of a man who had a withered hand (6: 6-10), about the healing of the servant of the centurion from Capernaum (7: 1-26). 10), about the resurrection of the young man of Nain (7: 11-15), about the healing of the possessed (8: 26-39), about the healing of a woman suffering from a hemorrhage, about the resurrection of Jairus' daughter (8: 40-56), about the healing of an epileptic (9: 37-42), about the healing of a blind man at Jericho (18: 35-43). When reading these descriptions, we notice that Luke described them extensively and he liked them and at the same time he became the one who helped others with his medical service, and today in heaven he cares for those on whom human life depends.
It is worth on St. Luke Feast, to remind ourselves of the merits and benefits coming from doctors, sisters, nurses, orderlies willingly rushing with sacrificial help in any place and at any time. It is everyone's responsibility to give to Health Care Workers respect, trust and gratitude. They also deserve our prayers.
We are always happy to return to chapter 24 of the Gospel according to St. Luke, in which he describes Jesus' encounter with two of his disciples at Emmaus. Was our heart not burning when he explained the Scriptures to us? In contemplating this scene, we immediately become participants in it, we want to sit down at the Eucharistic table with Jesus, to break bread ...
Until Tomorrow
fr. george