Life without St. Luke?
As I was thinking about today’s Feast of St. Luke, I began noting all the events we wouldn’t know about if not for his writings. Imagine what would be missing from our understanding of the Faith if we didn’t have The Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles:
Saint Luke the Evangelist. Russian Eastern Orthodox icon, 18th century.
- The Birth of John the Baptist
- The Annunciation and the Visitation
- The Magnifcat and the Canticle of Zechariah
- The Parable of the Good Samaritan
- The Parable of the Prodigal Son
- The Emmaus Encounter
- Pentecost
- The Martyrdom of St. Stephen
- The First Deacons
- The Journeys of St. Paul
- The Council of Jerusalem
And that merely scratches the surface. Besides all the particular events, Luke’s gospel is unique in its emphasis on the poor and marginalized, its descriptions of Jesus at prayer, and in the prominence of women in the life of Jesus.
Today we commemorate the divine inspiration that prompted Luke “to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed.”
May each of us be as open to divine inspiration in our lives, so that we, too, can share the Good News.
