Daily Catholic Lectio. Sat, 18 Oct ’25. Faithful Companion

Daily Catholic Lectio

Sat, 18 Oct ‘25

Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday

Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist

2 Timothy 4:9–17. Luke 10:1–9

Faithful Companion

In the Second Letter to Timothy, Paul writes movingly from his prison cell: “Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in ministry.” (2 Tim 4:11) This one line reveals much about both Paul and Luke. It shows Paul’s loneliness, his weariness, and yet his trust in those who stood by him. And it shows Luke’s steadfast loyalty — a friend who did not abandon Paul even when others did.

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, we remember not only the writer of the Gospel and Acts, but also the man — physician, artist, historian, traveller, and missionary — whose faith and creativity continue to enrich the Church. Luke wrote nearly one-third of the New Testament — his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles — two volumes of one great story: God’s love unfolding in history through Jesus and the Church.

Luke: The Man of Many Gifts

Tradition tells us that Luke was born in Antioch, in Syria, into a cultured Greek family. Trained as a physician, Luke had both a keen eye for detail and a compassionate heart — qualities that shaped his writing. His Greek is elegant, his narrative style vivid, and his theology profound.

Luke’s Gospel presents Jesus as the Saviour of the world, the merciful face of God who reaches out to sinners, the poor, and the forgotten. He gives special attention to women, outsiders, and the lowly, showing that God’s grace knows no boundaries.

He was also a travelling companion of Paul, joining him on his missionary journeys and likely serving as his personal doctor. Luke’s faithfulness continued until Paul’s martyrdom in Rome. Later traditions even call Luke a painter, the first to paint the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus — an icon said to have been brought to India by St. Thomas and now venerated at St. Thomas Mount, Chennai.

Because of these gifts, Luke is honoured as the patron of doctors, artists, and craftsmen. His life reminds us that holiness and creativity are not opposites — they can grow together in the same heart.

The symbol of Luke’s Gospel is the winged ox — a sign of sacrifice and priestly service. The ox stands for Jesus’ offering of Himself, while the wings signify the Gospel’s power to reach every corner of the world.

Luke: The Evangelist of Mercy and Mission

Luke sees life as a journey — from Nazareth to Jerusalem, from the Cross to the Resurrection, and from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. His Gospel is filled with stories of travellers and seekers: Mary visiting Elizabeth, the Good Samaritan, the prodigal son, Zacchaeus, the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

For Luke, faith is movement — a walking with God. That is why in today’s Gospel (Luke 10:1–9), Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples in pairs, to preach and to heal. Luke records this not as a distant event, but as an invitation: we too are among the seventy-two. The mission of Jesus is still unfinished, and each of us has a role to play. We are sent — not alone, but together — to proclaim peace, to heal wounds, and to make God’s love visible in our world.

Luke’s emphasis on the Holy Spirit, prayer, compassion, joy, and equality makes his Gospel a “Gospel for all people.” He teaches us that God’s mercy is wider than human judgment, that prayer opens the heart to the Spirit, and that joy is the surest sign of the presence of God.

Luke’s Legacy: Using All Our Gifts

Luke’s life was a beautiful harmony of faith and talent. He was a doctor, who healed bodies;

a writer, who healed hearts with words; a traveller, who crossed boundaries; a historian, who gave order to salvation’s story; an artist, who painted the face of love. Each of us is called, like Luke, to use our gifts — however small or many — in service of the Gospel. His example reminds us that we serve best not by doing everything, but by doing our part faithfully.

Paul said, “Only Luke is with me.” Luke remained, quietly and steadfastly, doing what he alone could do. That is holiness: being fully present, fully faithful, and fully yourself in the mission God has given.

Living the Spirit of Luke

To honour St. Luke today is to live as he lived — with faith that heals fear, words that build hope, and hands that serve love. Let us learn from him: To see our life as a journey guided by grace. To use our talents as instruments of mercy. To proclaim through our words and deeds that today — not tomorrow — “salvation has come to this house.” (Luke 19:9)

May we, like Luke, remain faithful companions of Christ and His mission until the end.

“The harvest is great, but the labourers are few.” Let us go forth — with the heart of Luke — to tell the story of God’s mercy to the world.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy