Saint Luke was born a Greek and a Gentile in Antioch, Syria. He was a physician and it is believed that he may have also been a slave, as it was not uncommon in his day for slaves to be educated in medicine so the family would have a resident physician.
Luke joined Paul at Troas in the year 51, accompanying him from Macedonia to Philippi.
It is very possible that Luke provided medical assistance to Paul when he had been beaten, stoned or nearly drowned while evangelizing to the Western Roman Empire. Luke explains in the introduction to his gospel that his writings were inspired by close association with Paul and his companions.
The stained glass window, above, is at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Stamford, Connecticut. In this window, St. Luke is shown holding a book which represents his Gospel. In his other hand he holds a plant, representing healing herbs.
Luke remained with Paul to the end of his life, even during his imprisonment and sufferings, “Only Luke is with me” (2 Timothy 4:11).
Luke is the only Gentile to have written books in the Bible. He is the writer of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles and his writings have been proven to be historically accurate.
In the third Gospel, Luke emphasizes Christ’s compassion for sinners and for those who suffer. The gospel of Luke focuses on the poor and oppressed, encouraging tenderness and compassion for the less fortunate.
The story of Lazarus and the Rich Man who ignored him is told in Luke’s gospel, as is the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Gospel of Luke stresses the importance of evangelizing to the Gentiles. In the Gospel of Luke we hear Jesus praising the faith of Gentiles such as the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian (Lk.4:25-27), and we hear the story of the one grateful leper who is a Samaritan (Lk.17:11-19).
Unlike the Jewish writings, women have an important place in Luke’s gospel. Luke writes about the women who accompanied Jesus, such as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and Martha and Mary and “many other women who used their own resources to help Jesus and his disciples” (8:1).
Luke also writes about the birth of Christ from Mary’s point of view and she is especially important in Luke’s gospel.
It is only in the gospel of Luke that the story of Mary’s Annunciation, her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat, the Presentation and Jesus’ remaining in Jerusalem are told. In Luke’s gospel, we learn the words spoken by the angel to Mary at the Annunciation, “Hail Mary, full of grace” and Elizabeth’s words to Mary, “Blessed are you and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.”
Luke’s Christian ministry can be followed in the book of Acts. Up until the sixteenth chapter the story of Acts is written in the third person, much like an historian recording facts. The voice of the narrator then changes to first person and scholars believe this is done at the time Luke first joined Paul at Troas in the year 51. The book of Acts switches back to third person and scholars believe that this reflects a period in time when Luke was not present during the events that are recorded.
Though some historians claim that St. Luke was martyred after the death of Saint Paul, others say he lived a long life, dying at the age of 84 after settling in Greece to write his gospel.
He was the first Christian physician and was venerated by the Catholic Church as the patron saint of physicians and surgeons. Saint Luke is also considered the patron saint of painters because, according to tradition, he had painted images of Mary and of Jesus. This was later proven to be incorrect.
Saint Luke’s feast day is celebrated on October 18th.