Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist

Lectionary: 661 

Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them, "The Kingdom of God is at hand for you."

Guided by the Roman Calendar, the universal Church often celebrates the dedication of major basilicas in Rome as, for instance, we will Saint John Lateran on November 9. The dedication of some minor basilicas, not in Rome, may also have their annual memorials on days like September 8 and August 15, when they were dedicated in honor the Virgin. 

So it strikes me as odd that we do not celebrate the feast of the Gospel According to Saint Luke, rather than the feast of Saint Luke. We know so little of the man; his few appearances in the New Testament would not rate a feast day. Saint Matthew and Mark also remain in deep shadows behind their magnificent literary edifices. 

Perhaps we honor the four evangelical writers, rather than their Gospels, to remind us that every Christian is called to be an evangelist and, in a certain sense, a gospel writer. 

Franciscans study the life and writings of Saint Francis much like we study the Old and New Testaments. Our scholars research and reveal what is known about his times; including the city of Assisi and its environs in the Mediterranean basin. They tell us about the medieval church, the arts and sciences of that time, the economic, educational, and political world of the thirteenth century, and its climate. Within that broader picture, they place Francis Bernadone, the favored son of a wealthy merchant. Finally, we study his writings and what is written about him. (These, too, are translated and sorted by scholars.) 

The research, reading, prayer, and reflection about Francis lead us to a "Gospel according to Saint Francis of Assisi.;" We watch as his spirituality evolves and deepens in the eight centuries since that time and listen to what the "patron saint of ecology" says to us today. 

Our love and profound respect for the man do not dismiss his sinfulness, although the biographers say little about that. He seems to have been a rascal as a young man, with a tendency to profligacy. He was certainly a lover but we know of no scandalous behavior with women. (They were closely guarded in those days.) His sins were finally integrated into the story of God's mercy, as ours must be; and we call the result, "the Gospel according to Saint Francis." 

Similarly, each of us is caught up in the writing of a gospel which, we hope, will end in resurrection for the Glory of God. If not many of our lives will be recorded or studied by future generations we can still declare, "I am somebody" 

Or as Linda Loman's said of Willy, "So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall in his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person.”

When the Lord called Lazarus out of the grave he was giving his friend that unexpected recognition, even at the cost of his own life. 

We hope that our children and grandchildren, our friends and fellow parishioners might remember our lives as gospels of a sort. Perhaps something we said, or a significant incident, an act of heroism, a kindness to a stranger: something will appear like a tessera in the vast, cosmic mosaic of Salvation History and make it all the more splendid. 

There was only one Saint Luke and his gospel stands forever both as a witness to Jesus and a testimony to the Evangelist's brilliance, courage, and integrity. But his gospel is also ours and we find our place within it as we follow in the footsteps of the Savior.