St. Luke is our patron saint because he was both a medical physician and a missionary of the Gospel. In addition to his work as a physician and evangelist, he used the skills of his advanced Greek education to record for all generations much of what we know about the early foundation of the Church. The Acts of the Apostles, written by St. Luke along with his Gospel, comprise about 25% of our New Testament Scripture. So, we look to the example of St. Luke as a man who used all of his worldly talents in service to the Church.
St. Luke was a frequent companion to St. Paul, who refers to him on three occasions and calls him “Luke, the beloved physician.” (Col. 4:14) Unlike the other Gospel writers who were Jewish converts, St. Luke was a gentile whose Gospel emphasized the universality of the Good News: that God’s offer of salvation, promised to Israel and fulfilled in the life of Christ and his Church, is meant for all mankind (see Catholic Bible Dictionary, Hahn, Doubleday, 2009, p. 557). Jesus’ mission culminates in his command to his apostles “that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations.” So, we ask for the intercession of St. Luke who was dedicated to bring the good news to people throughout the world.
St. Luke emphasized the mercy of God through the merciful acts of Christ, including the pardon of a sinful woman (7:36-50), Zacchaeus (19:1-10), the executioners (23:39-43), and concern for the poor and oppressed (1:52; 4:18, 6:20-26, 14:7-11). He shows our Lord’s care and respect for women (Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, Joanna, Susanna, Mary and Martha and the infirm woman). Women are also featured in two parables of Jesus that are unique to the Gospel of Luke: the Lost Coin, and the Unrighteous Judge (Hahn, 558). So, we consider the inspired words of our patron, St. Luke, regarding our Lord’s mercy to the poor and oppressed, who are often, disproportionally, women and children.
Finally, St. Luke devotes considerable attention to the interior life of prayer. He shows Jesus in prayer, constantly seeking the Father’s will throughout his ministry. He frequently withdraws to deserted places to pray (5:16; 6:12) and even prays for his persecutors during his crucifixion (23:34). So, we ask our patron saint for his assistance that we might persevere in prayer, following the example of our Lord to seek the Father’s will in all things.
