18TH OCTOBER 2022
FEAST OF SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELIST
FIRST READING: 2ND TIMOTHY 4: 10 - 17ab
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Psalm 145: 10 - 11, 12 - 13ab, 17 - 18 (R.) 12a_
GOSPEL: LUKE 10: 1 - 9
Today, on this Feast day of the Evangelist St Luke, let us meditate on this beautiful gift which he has penned – the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St Luke.
St Jerome was of the opinion that, “among all the evangelists, St Luke was the most skilled writer of Greek.”
It is to St Luke that we owe some of the finest Gospel portraits…
...The nostalgic infancy narratives of Jesus
...The Annunciation of Jesus (1: 26-38)
…The Birth of John the Baptist (1: 57-66)
…The visit of the shepherds at the Birth of Jesus (2: 15-20)
… The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (2: 22-38)
… The Loss of Jesus in the Temple (2: 41-52)
The distinguished and daring ministries of Jesus
… The Programmatic Speech in Nazareth, His hometown (4: 16-30)
… The raising of widow’s son at Nain (7: 11-17)
… The story of Martha and Mary of Bethany (10: 38-42)
… The Samaritan Leper (17: 11-19)
… The transformation of Zacchaeus (19: 1-10)
… The conversion of the good thief (23: 39-43)
… The encounter with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (24: 13-35)
The illustrious and much-loved parables
… The Good Samaritan (10: 29-37)
… The Prodigal Son (15: 11-32)
… Rich Man and Lazarus (16: 19-31)
… The Persevering Widow (18: 1-8)
… The Publican and the Tax Collector (18: 9-14)
The marvellous brush of the Physician St Luke has some unique thrusts as well…
… which are also great reminders to us, in our spiritual lifestyle.
1. A Gospel of Inclusive.
St Luke’s Gospel has distinctive stories and incidents on how Jesus accepted and recognized the dignity of those, who were otherwise, left out in the society…
… the Samaritans
… the tax-collectors
… the public sinners
… the women.
Am I a person who is willing to accept those who are rejected, abandoned and pushed-out of the society?
Do I exhibit “exclusivist” mentality by sticking on to only “my” culture, language, race, class etc and fail to celebrate differences?
2. A Gospel of Prayer.
St Luke’s Gospel presents greatly the aspect of the prayer, by presenting many instances…
… of Jesus praying
… of Jesus exhorting on prayer
… of many Temple scenes.
Am I a person who enjoys the taste of prayer?
Do I fail to have a regular and consistent time to spend with the Lord and discover and implement the Father’s Will in my life?
3. A Gospel of the Poor.
St Luke displays his special love for the poor…
… through his many parables on the poor and the denouncement of riches.
And thus exalts them as the “favoured ones of God” and restoring their dignity and honour.
Do I make radical choices to grow in my “poverty” i.e. my total dependence on the Providence of God?
Do I share my gifts, my talents and my riches, with those in need and find joy in this sharing?
4. A Gospel of the meal.
St Luke’s Gospel has an interesting presentation of Jesus as most of the time being “at meal or on the way to a meal”
There are nearly 19 references to food, with 13 of them being exclusive to this Gospel.
The meal is a reference to the communitarian dimension in spirituality!
Am I a person who cherishes the presence of the other and be willing to celebrate life?
Do I also become aware that the Lord constantly calls us to share in His Meal – the Holy Eucharist and make my life, in turn, a Eucharist to the other?
The Gospel of Luke has also many other features and names…which we can pick up for our personal reflection:
The Gospel of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel of the Blessed Mother Mary.
The Gospel of Joy.
The Gospel of Women.
The Gospel of Universality.
The Gospel of Repentance.
The Gospel showing True Richness… etc.
St Luke has left us a masterpiece with His account of the Life of Jesus!
Some of the most pictorial, most classical, most loved, most remembered and most cherished incidents and parables are from this Gospel…
The Gospel of St Luke, along with many more themes is a wonderful reminder of the Love and Mercy of God calling us to live in joy and service.
May this Feast Day of this Great Evangelist help us to grow in our love for the Word, by reading and reflecting daily and challenge us to live the Word, in all our daily activities of life!
Happy Feast of St Luke, the Evangelist!
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