Image 1 of 1: Saint Luke the Evangelist, El Greco
Saints and feasts
St. Luke
Evangelist
Luke, the beloved physician and companion of St. Paul, gave the Church the Gospel that bears his name and Acts, the great account of the first apostolic mission.
The reading
ⓘ Butler source
Butler's Lives of the Saints, Volume IV (October-November-December), October 18, St Luke, Evangelist, Christian Classics 1990, pp. 142-143.
Luke gave the Church the Gospel that bears his name and the Acts of the Apostles. Through these two books, he tells of Christ's mercy and then follows the first preaching of the Gospel from Jerusalem toward Rome.
St. Paul calls Luke the beloved physician, and the New Testament places him among Paul's companions in the work of the Gospel. Luke's careful account shows the Church at prayer, the Holy Spirit guiding its mission, and the apostles carrying the name of Jesus across the world.
The Church's ancient tradition receives Luke as the author of this double work. Later stories about his martyrdom or his painting portraits of Our Lady are not equally secure, but his place in Scripture gives the faithful a sure and lasting witness.
Historical note
Luke is named in the New Testament as the beloved physician and a companion of St. Paul. Later stories of his martyrdom and portraits of Our Lady are pious tradition rather than secure history.
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The Our Father
Luke's account of the Church at prayer invites us to join that life of prayer.
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