His Word Today: Saint Luke, Evangelist

Good morning everyone,

At the end of every Eucharistic celebration, the presider says: Go in the peace of Christ and we respond: Thanks be to God.  We may rightly see this as the declaration that the Mass is ended, but the work of being a disciple has only begun when these words are uttered.  Once we have taken the time to listen to the Word of God, and once we have been nourished with the Eucharist, the Lord sends us out into the world so that each of us can be his witness in the world, in the midst of our friends and co-workers, helping everyone we meet to encounter the love of God in our words and actions.

This is exactly what Jesus did when he appointed seventy-two disciples ... and sent them ahead of him in pairs (Lk 10:1).  This is also what he did when he later sent the twelve into the world, telling them to go, make disciples of all the nations ... (Mt 28:19).

It was thanks to the witness given by those first disciples that Saint Luke the Evangelist learned about Jesus.  Many scholars believe that Luke was a physician who lived in Antioch.  It is also widely accepted that this physician was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles - hence the title Luke, the Evangelist which is ascribed to him.  If this is true, then Luke repeatedly counts himself not among the original eyewitnesses of Jesus and his miracles but among those who witnessed the mission of Saint Paul that followed.

The scriptures attest to the fact that Saint Luke was present in Rome toward the end of Saint Paul's life (cf 2 Tim 4:11 and Acts 28:16).  Luke died at the age of 84 at Boeotia (Thebes), and it is believed that he was originally buried there.  His mortal remains were later transferred to Constantinople (modern-day Turkey) in 357 AD.

Luke was most probably not of Jewish heritage.  His faith and the testimony borne by his writings attest to the fact that he helped to spread the Word ... even to the furthest corners of the world.  Through his intercession, may we too find the courage to live our faith and to share the good news of the gospel with those we meet.

Have a great day.