Saint of the day October 18, 2024

"The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Luke 10:1–2

Saint Luke, whom we honor today, was a true evangelist. As an evangelist, he followed the inspiration from our Lord and was used to bring God’s saving message to the ends of the earth. There is little doubt that his ministry will continue to have a transforming effect on the lives of many until the end of the world. Tradition states that Saint Luke became a martyr, being hanged on an olive tree. He is identified in the New Testament as a physician and as a disciple of Saint Paul. Both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are attributed to him.

Saint Luke is often spoken of as an evangelist to the Gentiles. His Gospel was written so that it didn’t presume a full understanding of the Jewish faith and customs. Therefore, it is believed to have been primarily written for those who are not of Jewish origin. Thus, the life and mission of Saint Luke must remind us that the Gospel needs to be shared with all people, especially with those who do not have a deep and sustaining relationship with God.

In today’s Gospel from Saint Luke, we read that Jesus sent seventy-two disciples “to every town and place he intended to visit.” Only Luke mentions the larger scale sending of seventy-two disciples. The other Gospels only mention the sending of the Twelve. Though many of these seventy-two disciples would have gone to Jewish territory, some would have unquestionably gone to non-Jewish territory. The mission of these seventy-two was to prepare everyone they encountered for the preaching of Jesus and for the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

As we honor Saint Luke today and read this passage from his Gospel, we are reminded that we are all sent by our Lord. We are sent to those who share our faith, such as family, friends, and fellow parishioners. We are sent to love them and do all we can to help deepen their faith and love of God. But we are also called to share the Gospel with those who do not yet know Jesus as their Savior. There are so many people we encounter every day who have never truly met our Lord. Are there people in your life that God is calling you to reach out to? Who do you know that God may be calling you to share the Gospel with?

Reflect, today, upon the fact that the Gospel is meant for everyone. Speak to our Lord and tell Him that you are ready and willing to be used by Him to bring His saving message to others. As you do so, wait on the Lord, listen to His inspiration, and respond when He calls. If someone comes to mind whom you sense God is calling you to evangelize, begin to pray for that person. Pray for them every day and be attentive to any inspiration God gives you to share His love and saving message with them. Do not be afraid to be an evangelist like Saint Luke. Doing so might make an eternal difference in someone’s life.

My saving Lord, You sent Your disciples on a mission to share Your saving message with all. Today I especially thank You for the life and ministry of Saint Luke. Please use me, dear Lord, to imitate his wonderful example and to share Your glorious life with others. Please lead me and inspire me to especially reach out to those whom You have put into my life. Jesus, I trust in You."

Among the Evangelists Luke holds first place when it comes to the vastness of his knowledge and, consequently, along with the others he not only had the supernaturally infused fullness of knowledge of divine things, but also the fullness of the knowledge of natural sci­ences humanly acquired….

He alone has put into writing the account of the Annunciation; he alone records how immediately after Christ’s birth in Bethlehem he was adored by the angels: Glory to God in the highest, and how his birth was announced to the shepherds by the angel: I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

And only Luke has left us a lasting historical memorial of Christ’s Ascension into heaven in his Acts of the Apostles. Only Luke was Mary’s secretary, so to say.

He alone writes of the circumcision, the presentation in the Temple, the visitation of Elizabeth. He alone records Mary’s Canticle [the Magnificat], that she found the boy Jesus in the Temple, and Luke alone gives us some indication of what the Blessed Mother did after Christ’s Ascension into heaven when he says that she persevered in prayer (cf. Acts 1:14).

So indeed the glory of the Lord of Israel rose from the cherub up to the threshold of the Temple (Ez 9:3), to the gate of God’s Temple, for Mary is that gate of which Ezekiel writes: This gate is to remain closed; it is not to be opened…since the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it (Ez 44:2).

The glory of the Lord of Israel rose from the cherub, from Luke, filled with knowledge which made him a light for the world by his remarkable teaching and wisdom. If we had no other writer and teacher of the things of God, Luke alone would suffice to enlighten the whole world with the light of faith and Christian doctrine, which is true wisdom and the most profound theology. Luke was born into this world to be a light for the world…. He shines among the most splendid and brilliant stars of heaven.


Saint Lawrence of Brindisi († 1619) was a minister general of the Capuchin Franciscans and preached throughout Europe. He is a Doctor of the Church.

The Glories of Saint Luke

St. Lawrence of Brindisi

In an essay for homilists, Saint John Henry Newman writes, “Nothing that is anonymous will preach.” God calls particular people to particular tasks, and directs their personal histories and temperaments toward the fulfillment of their vocation.

It’s a tradition that Luke was a physician, and unique aspects of his Gospel indicate that he was a man concerned with God’s mercy. It is Luke who presents to us Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, as well as his merciful promise to the “good thief,” and his merciful words from the cross, Father, forgive them….

And while Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us of the high priest’s slave whose ear was cut off at Jesus’ arrest, it is only Luke who assures us that Jesus touched the slave’s ear and healed him. For a physician, that would be an important detail. For a man concerned with mercy, that would leave an indelible impression: that Jesus offered his healing mercy even in the midst of chaos and violence, even while suffering his own darkest hour.

Nothing anonymous evangelizes. There are aspects of Jesus which are uniquely magnified through the prism of Luke’s personality.

Nothing anonymous believes in Jesus and follows him. There are aspects of each Christian disciple’s personality, including yours, which uniquely reflect to the world nuances of Jesus’ personality. Through Jesus’ mercy, each of our souls can somehow magnify the Lord.

Father Richard Veras is the director of pastoral formation at Saint Joseph’s Seminary in New York.

My Soul Magnifies

the Lord

Father Richard Veras