Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

 Lectionary: 661

R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

The Church might celebrate any of the four canonical Gospels as a "cathedral of words," on the feast days of Saint Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We often celebrate the dedication of basilicas in Rome or Jerusalem. But we prefer to celebrate the particular Evangelists who composed these incredibly important works.

What we know of Saint Luke we glean from his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, and from the letters of Saint Paul. He was not one of the apostles; his name appears only three times  in the New Testament, and never as a principal actor. Because he was a gentile we can suppose that he never personally met Jesus before his death and resurrection. He joined the movement later and faithfully accompanied Saint Paul, who called him his beloved physician. There are passages in the Acts of the Apostles where the pronoun we appears without explanation; apparently the author was one of Paul's travelling companions.

His two books, which might be properly called "The Acts of Jesus and the Acts of the Apostles" comprise 27.5% of the New Testament; more than any other writer. Some scholars suppose he would be disappointed to learn that his works were not placed in sequence in the New Testament. His gospel appears after Matthew and Mark, with John coming next. Because of that placement, The Gospel according to Luke has been regarded as one of the synoptic Gospels rather than as a companion to the Acts of the Apostles. And that adventure story seems more like an introduction to the Epistles of Saint Paul than the continuation of the Mighty Works of the Holy Spirit.

His duology is remarkably joyful, and sometimes comical as the Holy Spirit and the inspired disciples challenge Jewish and Roman authorities. If they don't laugh at the mistreatment they suffer, they do thank God for being disrespected and abused as Jesus was disrespected and abused. Luke tells us that Saint Stephen prayed as Jesus had prayed, that his tormentors would be forgiven; and Peter and John thanked God for the privilege of suffering. 

The Acts of Jesus and The Acts of the Apostles are thematically joined and almost inseparable, with motifs of constant travel, the mission to Jews and gentiles, the Holy Spirit, God's favor for the poor and disadvantaged, and forgiveness of sins. Women are favored in the gospel as among the poor and disenfranchised. 

The Lord's Virgin Mother wins extraordinary attention in Saint Luke's writing, matched only by her two appearances in the Gospel of John. Luke knows her as the most faithful disciple of the Lord. She is the first to hear the Good News from the Angel Gabriel, and conceives the word not only in her mind and heart, but also in her body. No other human being has ever been so hospitable to God as this Galilean Virgin. 

The Gospel of Luke contains the most parables, with a total of 24 and 18 unique parables. (The Gospel of Matthew has 23 parables, with 11 unique to it; while the Gospel of Mark only 8 parables and 2 unique ones.) Nor can anyone forget or miss the point of parables like the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, and the Pharisee in the temple. If you've heard them, you know they're pointed at you!

We celebrate Saint Luke, rather than his magnificent work, because the faithful Church takes precedence in our religion over its way of life, a tradition, or a set of teachings. People who know the Lord know us; and from us they receive the Bible, the Sacraments, our religious practices and customs. The Church is inspired people like Saint Luke, Matthew, Mark, John, Paul, and millions of others. And we thank God for the Marvelous Works he does with us.