Evangelist, by tradition a physician, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Patron of doctors and artists.
Life
Saint Luke is the evangelist whom Church tradition honors as the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. In Paul's letters he is called the beloved physician, and he appears as a co-worker who travelled with Paul on his missionary journeys. He is thought to have been a Gentile rather than a Jew.
His Gospel tells with special warmth of Jesus' mercy toward the poor, sinners and women. The parables of the prodigal son and the good Samaritan, Mary's song of praise and the stories of Jesus' childhood are found in Luke.
The story that he painted a portrait of Mary is a later tradition, and little is known for certain about the end of his life. The Church remembers him on October 18.
Spirituality
Luke's spirituality is the joy of God's mercy. He proclaimed a God who goes out in search of the lost and a Jesus who embraces the outcast first. Throughout his Gospel he also highlights prayer, the Holy Spirit and joy.
Reflection
Through the good Samaritan, Luke asks who our neighbor is. Among the people you meet today, who is the neighbor you should approach first?