The Gospel of St. Luke
Friends in Christ, we are in the 22nd week of Ordinary Time, and during the course of Ordinary Time, we first read from the gospel of Mark for some weeks, then for a long period the gospels are from Matthew, and now we are beginning to read from the gospel of St. Luke.
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The name Luke is Greek, and so St. Luke is a gentile. His gospel is written for the gentile converts to the Faith. These converts would have received a good deal of instruction before they were baptized – RCIA was 2 years in those days. But now St. Luke wishes to give them a deeper knowledge of the truths of their religion, and at the same time to show them on what a firm basis is their faith.
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A running theme through the gospel of Luke, is the universality, the catholicity, of the Christian faith. God’s mercy and forgiveness and salvation is offered to all people, not just the Jews. Women are portrayed in a favorable light, and the subject of prayer is stressed very much.
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St. Luke was also an artist and a doctor, and his gospel shows how he portrays people as living characters, details are often given of a medical nature, especially with the healings of Christ. The quality of St. Luke’s Greek is excellent. In his prologue, he tells why he is writing: ‘Many, he says, have drawn up a narrative concerning the things that have taken place. I also have determined, after following up things carefully from the very beginning, to write for thee an orderly account that you may understand the certainty of the words in which thou hast been instructed.”
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He begins with Mary and the infancy of Christ, which he probably learned from the Blessed Virgin herself. His Gospel begins in Jerusalem where the people are awaiting a Savior, and it ends in Jerusalem with the risen Christ. In these pages, the Holy Spirit is seen to be very active.
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The turning point in the Gospel is in chapter 9, when Jesus decides to go up to Jerusalem to preach and to die for our salvation. St. Luke emphasizes a great deal Jesus going to Jerusalem; he highlights the priestly character of Christ’s mission. It is for this reason that the symbol of St. Luke is the Ox, or the Calf – animals which symbolize sacrifice.
