St.Luke 2023

Luke the beloved physician was a medic and painter as ell as a Gospel writer. Legend has it that his ikon of the Madonna and Child now housed in the Kykkos Monastery on Cyprus and which I have seen was, it is believed, painted from life and is therefore an actual image of Mary. Luke was also the companion and friend of St.Paul and is mentioned three times in Paul’s letters. It is also to St.Luke that we owe both the Gospel account that bears his name and the Book of Acts which is its sequel.

We are indebted to Luke the Evangelist, for his writings because he writes for us. He writes as a gentile who has accepted Jesus as the Christ, the Jewish Messiah and his writings are evidence that Jesus Christ is Saviour to both the Hebrews and the non-Hebrews. His is the Good news for the gentiles. The Book of Acts is also an invaluable record of how the Early Christians and Church was organised; disagreed with each other; fell out and made up; and how the Gospel began to spread throughout the known world taken by the first disciples, St.Paul and their followers. Acts for me, reads like a ‘Boys Own’ adventure and I have always believed it to be good reading for anyone wanting to know more about the Faith. 

As a gentile, Luke is like us. Someone who did not have to accept that Jesus was the Jewish Promised Messiah but who did because of what he learned about Jesus from Paul and the disciples and Mary (whom legend tells us was cared for by Luke in old age). Like Luke we do not have to accept Christ into our lives but if we do, what joys and gifts we receive by being wrapped in God’s unconditional love - and that’s truly Good News.