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Our Patron, Saint Luke
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Saint Luke the Evangelist
St. Luke is believed to be the author of the Gospel that bears his name as well as of the Acts of the Apostles. According to Eusebius, he was probably born in Antioch , Syria of a prosperous Greek family and was trained as a physician.
His gospel is considered the most poetic and beautiful of all. He uses the best grammar and themost eloquent and correct Greek of the New Testament. He shows Jesus not as the Jewish Messiah, but as the world’s Savior and Lord. He was a man of prayer, for this gospel is pre-occupied with the power of prayer. He had a high regard for the dignity of women for they played an important part of his writings.
He accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey and doubtless had the care of Paul’s health. Luke was with Paul in his last days and final imprisonment in Rome .
After writing those famous words to Timothy, “the time of my dissolution is at hand, I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course, I have kept the faith….Paul goes on to say, only Luke is with me.
What happened to Luke after Paul’s martyrdom, have no certain knowledge. But according to a fairly early and widespread tradition, he was unmarried and wrote his Gospel in Greece at Boeotia , where he died at age 84. Because the gospel which bears his name was believed to be an accurate account of the life of Christ and especially of Christ’s birth, Luke was taken as one of the patrons of notaries.
He is also the patron of the medical profession. He was reported to be a fine painter and is also patron of artists, painters, sculptors, craft workers and lacemakers.
His symbol is the ox. This may account for his also being patron of butchers. In art, Luke is represented by a winged ox. This is especially appropriate because in the Gospel of St. Luke, the priestly and sacrificial work of Jesus is emphasized. The ox represents the sacrificial aspect of Jesus’ ministry and the wings remind us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to travel throughout the world.
Paul spoke of Luke as the beloved physician. Together they evangelized Greece and Rome.
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