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As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
First century–c. 84
Patron Saint of physicians, surgeons, notaries, artists, butchers, brewers, and bachelors
St. Luke was a physician, missionary, and companion of St. Paul, and he wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, two New Testament books. Although he was not one of the Twelve Apostles, he became an important member of the early Christian community.
St. Paul refers to Luke as “the beloved physician” in his Letter to the Colossians. Luke later accompanied Paul on several missionary journeys. The “we” passages in Acts suggest that he traveled with Paul during portions of his ministry, including the journey to Rome. Near the end of Paul’s life, Paul wrote that Luke alone remained with him during his final imprisonment.
Luke’s Gospel has a distinctive emphasis on God’s mercy and Christ’s salvific mission. He frequently draws attention to the poor, sinners, the suffering, and the marginalized. His Gospel also gives particular attention to women. He includes several well-known accounts found nowhere else, including the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
His writings also have special accounts about Mary. His opening chapters provide the most extensive Gospel account of Mary’s role in the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, including her Magnificat. He is also traditionally associated with painting the first Christian icons of the Virgin Mary.
Continuing the story of salvation in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke describes the growth of the Church from Jerusalem to Rome. The Holy Spirit is central throughout his narrative, guiding the Apostles and strengthening them to proclaim Christ.
Tradition holds that St. Luke died in Boeotia, Greece. He is honored as the patron of physicians and artists.
Tradition attributes the painting of an early icon of the Virgin Mary to St. Luke, making him especially important to Christian artists. Several ancient icons have been attributed to him, most famously the Hodegetria, an image of Mary pointing toward Christ. The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine traditions revere St. Luke as the icon artist who painted portraits of the Blessed Mother holding the Child Jesus; however, written documentation linking him to these paintings didn’t surface until the eighth century. Over the centuries, artists began depicting Luke with a painting of Mary or an image of the Virgin as one of his identifying symbols. This tradition helped establish him as the patron of painters, sculptors, and other artists.
According to tradition, Luke, a non-Jewish physician, is the only Gentile Evangelist. He is credited with writing the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. These two books of the New Testament are written in Greek to a non-Jewish audience. St. Paul, who was chosen by Jesus as the Apostle to the Gentiles, converted Luke in Antioch. Luke later joined him in his missionary work among the Gentiles. Unlike Matthew, who traced Jesus back to Abraham for a Jewish audience, Luke traced Jesus’ lineage all the way back to Adam, representing all of humanity. Luke uniquely recorded stories highlighting outsiders and non-Jews, such as the Good Samaritan and the grateful Samaritan leper. He dedicated both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles to Theophilus, a Greek name meaning “lover of God.”
Luke’s Acts of the Apostles is the principal New Testament account of the Church’s earliest missionary expansion. Beginning in Jerusalem after Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension, Luke describes Pentecost, the preaching of Peter and the other Apostles, the conversion of St. Paul, and the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the Roman world. The narrative eventually reaches Rome, where Paul awaits trial. Luke presents this expansion as the work of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church through persecution and difficulties. Pope John Paul II noted that Luke’s two books together trace the movement of God’s Word from Jerusalem toward the ends of the known world, showing that the Church’s mission continues the saving work begun by Christ.
When our loved ones are not in a relationship with Christ—maybe have strayed from Him—we should remember that the Lord, in His infinite mercy, can transform even the hardest of hearts and perform miracles in people’s lives.
This eBook is a resource for parents, spiritual parents, or anybody waiting for a loved one to come to know the merciful love of God.
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Scripture scholar, lay missionary, and educator Frances Hogan journeys through the Gospel of St. Luke. She shares not only the thematic elements but also the infancy narrative and parables. (Series)
Explore the life and Gospel of St. Luke the Evangelist, featuring commentary from notable Biblical scholars, visits to sites holding relics, and icons attributed to St. Luke.
Scripture scholar, lay missionary and educator Frances Hogan journeys through the Gospel of St. Luke. She shares not only the thematic elements but the infancy narrative and parables.
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As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
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