My Man Luke!

Today is the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist. I’ve always been most partial to John, but Luke is a very, very close second. Two things stand out. No surprises here, just reflections:

1. Infancy Narrative. Luke describes the Incarnation in a very ordinary way. Through story. Whereas John describes it in esoteric mysticism, Luke lays it bare in narrative. And what a narrative it is! The Magnificat alone is worth the price of admission. It is a beautiful story. It’s effects stand alone too. “Judge them by their fruits.” Perhaps no other story has so throughly infected and affected Western culture as a whole. In this sense, Luke’s evangelization is the new evangelization.

2. Pentecost. Even though it’s not one of the Gospels, the book of Acts has been very important to me, personally. As I noted earlier, I grew up in the Charismatic Renewal movement within the Catholic Church. Beneath the nostalgic remnant of that time and spirituality, lies a deeply embedded understanding of the Church through the Pentecost story and its aftermath. While this story may not be as culturally ubiquitous, it has been a unique element in my mixed breed of Catholicism. Luke has affected me — and all Pentecostals, you know who you are! — in a very unique and powerful way.

I pray that you have a blessed feast day and perhaps find time to revisit the treasures that Luke’s pen gave us.

St. Luke the Evangelist, Pray for us.