Evangelist
Biographical Information about St. Luke[i]
Readings for the Feast of St. Luke[ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: 2 Timothy 4:10-17b
(9 Try to join me soon,[iv]
for) Demas, enamored of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke is the only one with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you,
for he is helpful to me in the ministry.
I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,
the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.
Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;
the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
You too be on guard against him,
for he has strongly resisted our preaching.
At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 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: Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and your faithful bless you.
They speak of the glory of your reign
and tell of your great works,
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Making known to all your power,
the glorious splendor of your rule.
Your reign is a reign for all ages,
your dominion for all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
You, LORD, are just in all your ways,
faithful in all your works
You, LORD, are near to all who call upon you,
to all who call upon you in truth.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
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: Luke 10:1-9
After this the Lord appointed seventy (two) others
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
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.’”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 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
[i] The picture used today is “St. Luke” by Frans Hals, 1625
[ii] ALTRE
[iii] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Psalm Response is from Printed source United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000
November 11, 2002 Copyright (c) by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
[iv] Note: The Lectionary for Mass inserts the sense line “Beloved,” at the beginning of this reading, separating it from verse 9 included here.
Biographical Information about St. Luke[i]
Readings for the Feast of St. Luke[ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: 2 Timothy 4:10-17b
(9 Try to join me soon,[iv]
for) Demas, enamored of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke is the only one with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you,
for he is helpful to me in the ministry.
I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,
the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.
Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;
the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
You too be on guard against him,
for he has strongly resisted our preaching.
At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 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: Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and your faithful bless you.
They speak of the glory of your reign
and tell of your great works,
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Making known to all your power,
the glorious splendor of your rule.
Your reign is a reign for all ages,
your dominion for all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
You, LORD, are just in all your ways,
faithful in all your works
You, LORD, are near to all who call upon you,
to all who call upon you in truth.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
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: Luke 10:1-9
After this the Lord appointed seventy (two) others
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
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.’”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 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
[i] The picture used today is “St. Luke” by Frans Hals, 1625
[ii] ALTRE
[iii] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Psalm Response is from Printed source United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000
November 11, 2002 Copyright (c) by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
[iv] Note: The Lectionary for Mass inserts the sense line “Beloved,” at the beginning of this reading, separating it from verse 9 included here.
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