Monday, October 18 : Anonymous Byzantine life of Saint Luke

When, after abandoning the darkness of error to bind himself to God’s love, Paul was joined to the number of the disciples, Luke went with him everywhere and became his travelling companion (Acts 16:10 f.). (…) He got on with him so well, was so close to him and shared all his graces so nearly that Paul, in writing to the faithful, called Luke his “beloved” (Col 4:14). From Jerusalem and the country round about as far as Dalmatia (Rom 15:19) he preached the Gospel with him. From Judea to Rome he shared the same chains with him, the same work, the same difficulties, the same shipwrecks. He desired to receive the same prize with him since he had shared the same labors. Having acquired the gift of preaching along with Paul and won over and led so many peoples to the love of God, Luke truly seemed like the Savior’s loving and beloved disciple in addition to being the evangelist who wrote his sacred history. For formerly he had followed the Lord (cf. Lk 10:1), gathered together the testimonies of his first servants (Lk 1:1) and received inspiration from on high. It was this evangelist who related the mystery of Gabriel, the messenger sent to the Virgin to announce joy to the whole world. It was he who told in full the birth of Christ, showing us the newborn child lying in a manger and describing shepherds and angels shouting for joy. (…) He reports the parabolic teachings in greater number than the other evangelists. And just as he makes known to us the descent of the Word of God to earth, so too he describes his Ascension to heaven and return to the Father’s throne (24:51). (…) But in Luke, grace does not stop there. His speech is not limited to serving the Gospel alone. At the end of Christ’s miracles he also relates the Acts of the Apostles. (…) Luke was not just a spectator of all those things but really participated in them. And that is why he put so much care into teaching us about them.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team