Memorial of St. Luke

St. Luke is the author of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, a doctor, and a close personal friend of St. Paul the Apostle - pretty cool right?

Although we don't know much about his early life, we believe he was a Greek Gentile, meaning not born a Jewish person like Jesus, who was born in Antioch, Syria.

His Gospel is notable for its focus on evangelizing Gentiles and its unique parables and stories highlighting the importance of faith among non-Jews, which makes a lot of sense because he was one of them.

Luke's friendship with St. Paul is part of the Book of Acts, where he joined Paul's missionary journeys, providing an important first-hand account of the early Christian Church (remember we talked about not knowing what year St. Francis was born because record keeping through history wasn't always great...).

He remained St. Paul's friend while Paul was in prison and killed for spreading the faith.

Luke's Gospel emphasizes themes of helping those most in need, forgiveness, and God's mercy, portraying Jesus as a champion of the marginalized and sinners.

Though we don't know much about what he did after Paul's death, St. Luke's contributions as an evangelist (Gospel writer), historian, and patron of painters and physicians continue to be celebrated by Christians worldwide. His Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles remain essential components of the New Testament, sharing the story of the life of the Blessed Mother, the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and the story of the early Christian community.

He is the patron saint of artists, bachelors, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, doctors, glass makers, glassworkers, gold workers, goldsmiths, lacemakers, lace workers, notaries, painters, physicians, sculptors, stained glass workers, surgeons.

You can celebrate the memorial of St. Luke by:

• For families: reading selections of the Gospel of Luke or the Acts of the Apostles. (If you or your parents have the Hallow App, it has a series guiding listeners through the Acts of the Apostles that is really interesting. It takes about a month - one day for each of the 28 chapters of the book, but well worth it!
• For everyone: attending Mass at St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Slidell.
• For littles: write a story or draw a picture that describes someone in your life that has helped you grow in faith.