Saint Luke

Known to have been a doctor and an artist, St. Luke is best known as the author of the third gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles. A Greek himself, he addressed his writings to Gentile readers. He also accompanied St. Paul on some of his journeys and shared in his sufferings. Luke wrote excellent popular prose with an artist's skill at painting picture stories. Demonstrating an unusual commitment to accuracy, he appears to have fastidiously checked his facts. In fact, archaeologists have confirmed many details that he reported in the Acts.

Some of Luke’s main themes - prayer, the Holy Spirit, and mercy - suggest that he was a compassionate, spiritual man. He aimed his books to persuade Gentiles that the Christian story was true. So he made it more accessible to them by filling his gospel with accounts of Christ’s openness and mercy. He also made a strong emphasis on the role women played in Christ’s ministry. A few stories and parables are found only in Luke, like the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Magnificat, the Presentation, Jesus lost in the Temple, the parable of the prodigal son, the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears, and others.

Luke’s Christian ministry can be followed in the Acts of the Apostles. Up until the 16^th chapter of Acts is written in the third person, much like a historian recording facts. The voice of the narrator then changes to first person and scholars believe this is done at a time Luke first joined Paul at Troas in the year 51 AD. Later on the book of Acts switches back to third person and scholars believe that this reflects a period in time when Luke was not present during the events that are recorded. His detailed writing can be found in a special way in chapter 27, which details the account of the shipwreck of St Paul in Malta. Many oceanographers and navigators still study this chapter to study navigation and nautical details of 2000 years ago.

Tradition says Luke lived a long life without marrying and that he died at age eighty-four. Luke is considered a patron of painters of pictures and is often portrayed as painting the image of Mary. He is often shown with an ox or a calf because these are the symbols of sacrifice - the sacrifice Jesus made for all the world. Luke is the patron of physicians and surgeons, and many hospitals are named after him.