Do you know Saint Luke?

Do you know St. Luke?

Highlights

By Deacon Keith Fournier
12/9/2022 (1 year ago)

Published in Christian Saints & Heroes

Keywords: St. Luke, 12 Apostles Campaign, Deacon Keith Fournier

Many say, "I know about the Apostles."  You may know about the Apostles, but do you know the Apostles?  The study of the apostles shows they are more than just men who followed Jesus. They are evangelists, authors, healers, martyrs, and living saints of the Church. They can hear our prayers and intercede for the faithful. They are SO much more than most people realize. And they are our models for our own missionary work.

The Lord be with you! I'm Deacon Keith Fournier, Dean of Catholic Online School, inviting YOU to continue with me on our 12 Apostles Journey!

We are discovering who we are called to be as we encounter each of these extraordinary men in our 12 Apostles' Journey series. We are learning how we can walk with them, through prayer and personal devotion. And, how their example is meant to shape our response to the call of the Lord in our own lives. 

The next Apostle we encounter on this journey is St. Luke, the Author of the third Gospel in the New Testament. The Gospels of St. Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the "synoptic" gospels. A word that means similar. 

Luke was a physician. He was from Antioch, born of a pagan family. He was won to faith in the Lord by the Apostle Paul.  He accompanied St. Paul on his second missionary journey and was with St. Paul when he was imprisoned in Rome. St. Paul refers to him as "my dear friend" and the "Doctor Luke" in the epistles or letters which the Apostle Paul write to the early churches.  

St. Luke was also the author of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. It is a detailed account of the history of the spread of the Christian faith and the birth and formation of the early Church. Luke is the patron of all medical professionals.  His is a longer Gospel and beautiful in its composition and details concerning the ministry of Jesus, his parables, his miracles his deep regard for the women who followed Jesus and for the poor. 

Sadly, the medical profession in our own age has lost its way, the witness of the physician Luke needs to be shared widely to bring them back. His dynamic account of the early Christians in the Acts of the Apostles provides a kind of missionary blueprint which we should follow in our own missionary work in this age. 

Enjoy Daily Readings? Pay it Forward

Jesus asks us to follow the example of Luke and continue to spread the Church into every Nation. This apostolic mission is your mission. You are called to an Apostolate. Your mission is to help us teach others the richness, beauty, and tradition of our Catholic faith. You see, there are tens of thousands of families who need to know Jesus. They need to know about their faith. 

We are asking you to honor the 12 Apostles by joining in their ongoing apostolic mission of the whole Church. How? By praying, learning from St Mark, saying yes to the call of Jesus in your own life, engaging in the mission to evangelize and teach the faith, and by giving $12 a month. The Mission of Catholic Online School is to provide a free, world-class Catholic education for anyone, anywhere. We are nearing 1,000,000 (Yes, One Million) Student Enrollments from 193 Countries worldwide.

You can support our Apostolate and become responsible for spreading the Gospel, just like the 12 Apostles.