Feast day: 18 October
Saint Luke
Sanctus Lucas
A Greek physician and companion of Saint Paul who wrote the Gospel of mercy and the Acts of the Apostles, preserving the infancy narratives and the Magnificat.
- Born
- 1st century, traditionally Antioch in Syria
- Died
- 1st century, traditionally in Boeotia, Greece
- Canonization
- Venerated as an evangelist since the early Church.
- Country
- Syria and Greece
Biography
Physician and companion of Paul
Paul calls him 'Luke the beloved physician' (Colossians 4:14). The 'we' passages of Acts show him travelling with Paul from Troas to Philippi, to Jerusalem and finally to Rome, where he remained during the apostle's imprisonment: 'Luke alone is with me' (2 Timothy 4:11).
The historian of salvation
Luke opens his Gospel by explaining that he investigated everything carefully from the beginning, drawing on eyewitnesses. To him the Church owes the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Magnificat, the Nativity at Bethlehem, the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son and the road to Emmaus.
Acts and later tradition
His second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, traces the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome and is the principal source for the apostolic age. Ancient tradition says he died unmarried in Greece; a medieval legend that he painted the Virgin gave him the patronage of artists.
Timeline
- ~c. AD 50 — Joins Paul at Troas
- ~c. AD 61 — With Paul in Roman captivity
- ~c. AD 80 — Completes the Gospel and Acts
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Winged ox — His Gospel begins with the sacrifice of Zechariah in the Temple.
Physician's instruments — His profession, reflected in his attention to healing.
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Careful truthfulness, compassion for the poor and for women, and loyalty to a friend in prison. Luke teaches that faith and honest research belong together.
Importance in the Church
Luke and Acts together form the largest contribution to the New Testament by a single author, and give the Church her memory of Mary, of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and of the first mission to the nations.
Quotes
“I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.”
Luke 1:3
Writings
The Gospel according to Luke — The Gospel of mercy, prayer and the poor, addressed to Theophilus.
The Acts of the Apostles — History of the Church from Pentecost to Paul's arrival in Rome.
Prayers
Collect of Saint Luke
Lord God, who chose Saint Luke to reveal by his preaching and writings the mystery of your love for the poor, grant that those who already glory in your name may persevere as one heart and one soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Roman Missal, 18 October.
Places
Basilica of Santa Giustina, Padua — Venerates a tomb long identified as that of Saint Luke.
Thebes, Greece — Traditional place of his death and first burial.
Related saints
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)