Biographical Information about St. Luke[1]
Readings for the Feast of Saint Luke[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Tm 4:10-17b
St. Paul, at this point on his second missionary journey, has run into significant opposition and his companions, with the exception of “Luke” (believed to be the Evangelist) have deserted him. The Lord, however, through his divine assistance has kept St. Paul’s mission alive and effective.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise. These strophes call on the faithful to give thanks to God for opening the gates of his Heavenly Kingdom. They continue praising God for his justice and his creating hand.
Gospel Lk 10:1-9
It is only in the Gospel of St. Luke that we hear the story of Jesus sending the seventy (two). This event is supported by other non-biblical writings (see Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 265-c. 340) Church History, Book. 1). The instructions given to those sent out are very similar to the instructions given to the Twelve, as was the message they were sent to proclaim.
Reflection:
In the garden at Gethsemane as Christ prayed and was plunged into sorrow, his thoughts, as true man and servant of the Father, must have been; “I have failed.” He had, a few short years earlier started his public ministry and because of his healing power, attracted large groups of people. Some of these would have been curiosity seekers, others seekers of a spiritual truth. Those few who were sincere, he called to himself. He sent them out like “sheep among wolves.”
Some of these early disciples had great success because of their faith in Jesus. But there in the Garden, the Lord saw all of this melting away. His closest friends were afraid. The Sanhedrin was certainly moving against him and the Romans were worried. His disciples would run, he knew it as surly as they could not stay awake and pray with him. His message would die unless the people he had touched carried it forward, so he wept.
Christ, the Son of God, had other plans. His Holy Spirit came to rest on many of these early followers. Some the Spirit landed on gently, allowing them to carry on in the face of persecution. Upon some, however, the Holy Spirit landed with both feet, driving them to heroic works in spreading the message Jesus had brought into the world. One of these, the ascribed author of the Gospel bearing his name, was St. Luke whose feast we celebrate today. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he documented the Lord’s life and message and went even further; he also gave us the Acts of the Apostles, additional evidence of God’s revelation and examples of faith for us to follow.
As we think about the man, Jesus, praying in the garden, let us give thanks God for calling to St. Luke through the Holy Spirit so the story of our Savior could spread through out the world and bring us the knowledge of salvation we so desperately need to hear.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is St. Luke by El Greco, 1605-10
[2] After Links to Readings Exprire
Readings for the Feast of Saint Luke[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Tm 4:10-17b
St. Paul, at this point on his second missionary journey, has run into significant opposition and his companions, with the exception of “Luke” (believed to be the Evangelist) have deserted him. The Lord, however, through his divine assistance has kept St. Paul’s mission alive and effective.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise. These strophes call on the faithful to give thanks to God for opening the gates of his Heavenly Kingdom. They continue praising God for his justice and his creating hand.
Gospel Lk 10:1-9
It is only in the Gospel of St. Luke that we hear the story of Jesus sending the seventy (two). This event is supported by other non-biblical writings (see Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 265-c. 340) Church History, Book. 1). The instructions given to those sent out are very similar to the instructions given to the Twelve, as was the message they were sent to proclaim.
Reflection:
In the garden at Gethsemane as Christ prayed and was plunged into sorrow, his thoughts, as true man and servant of the Father, must have been; “I have failed.” He had, a few short years earlier started his public ministry and because of his healing power, attracted large groups of people. Some of these would have been curiosity seekers, others seekers of a spiritual truth. Those few who were sincere, he called to himself. He sent them out like “sheep among wolves.”
Some of these early disciples had great success because of their faith in Jesus. But there in the Garden, the Lord saw all of this melting away. His closest friends were afraid. The Sanhedrin was certainly moving against him and the Romans were worried. His disciples would run, he knew it as surly as they could not stay awake and pray with him. His message would die unless the people he had touched carried it forward, so he wept.
Christ, the Son of God, had other plans. His Holy Spirit came to rest on many of these early followers. Some the Spirit landed on gently, allowing them to carry on in the face of persecution. Upon some, however, the Holy Spirit landed with both feet, driving them to heroic works in spreading the message Jesus had brought into the world. One of these, the ascribed author of the Gospel bearing his name, was St. Luke whose feast we celebrate today. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he documented the Lord’s life and message and went even further; he also gave us the Acts of the Apostles, additional evidence of God’s revelation and examples of faith for us to follow.
As we think about the man, Jesus, praying in the garden, let us give thanks God for calling to St. Luke through the Holy Spirit so the story of our Savior could spread through out the world and bring us the knowledge of salvation we so desperately need to hear.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is St. Luke by El Greco, 1605-10
[2] After Links to Readings Exprire
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