From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
October 18th - Luke the Evangelist
Almost all that we know about Luke comes from the New Testament. He
was a physician (Col 4:14), a companion of Paul on some of his
missionary journeys (Acts 16:10ff; 20:5ff; 27-28). Material found in
his Gospel and not elsewhere includes much of the account of Our
Lord's birth and infancy and boyhood, some of the most moving
parables, such as that of the Good Samaritan and that of the Prodigal
Son, and three of the sayings of Christ on the Cross: "Father, forgive
them," "Thou shalt be with me in Paradise," and "Father, into thy
hands I commend my spirit."
In Luke's account of the Gospel, we find an emphasis on the human love
of Christ, on His compassion for sinners and for suffering and unhappy
persons, for outcasts such as the Samaritans, tax collectors, lepers,
shepherds (not a respected profession), and for the poor. The role of
women in Christ's ministry is more emphasized in Luke than in the
other Gospel writings.
In the book of Acts, we find the early Christian community poised from
the start to carry out its commission, confident and aware of Divine
guidance. We see how the early Christians at first preached only to
Jews, then to Samaritans (a borderline case), then to outright
Gentiles like Cornelius, and finally explicitly recognized that
Gentiles and Jews are called on equal terms to the service and
fellowship of Christ.
Luke makes many casual references throughout his writings (especially
in Acts) to local customs and practices, often with demonstrable and
noteworthy precision. To mention just one example, he refers to two
centurions by nomen (the second of the three usual names of an ancient
Roman male), Cornelius in Acts 10 and Julius in Acts 27, and he calls
them both by nomen only, rather than by nomen and cognomen (The third
and usually last name of a citizen of ancient Rome) [Sergius Paulus in
Acts 13;7] or cognomen only (Gallio in Acts 18:12), as he does when
speaking of civilian officials. It is a distinction that would have
been routine at the time that Luke is writing about, but one that had
largely died out by, say, 70 AD. His preserving it shows either that:
He wrote fairly close to the events he described, or he was describing
persons and events on which he had good information, or he was an
expert historical novelist, with an ear for the authentic-sounding
detail.
Luke is commonly thought to be the only non-Jewish New Testament
writer. His writings place the life of Christ and the development of
the early Church in the larger context of the Roman Empire and
society. On the other hand, his writings are focused on Jerusalem and
on the Temple. His Gospel begins and ends in the Temple, and chapters
nine through nineteen portray Jesus as journeying from Galilee to
Jerusalem. Similarly, the Book of Acts describes the Church in
Jerusalem (and worshipping in the Temple) and then describes the
missionary journeys of Paul as excursions from and returns to
Jerusalem.
Saint Quote:
"Charity is the queen of virtues. As the pearls are held together by
the thread, thus the virtues are held together by charity; as the
pearls fall when the thread breaks, thus virtues are lost if charity diminishes."
--St. Padre Pio
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Jesu Dulcis Amor Meus,
a hymn in honor of the Holy Wounds of Christ:
Jesus! As though Thyself wert here I draw in trembling sorrow
near; And hanging o'er Thy form divine, Kneel down to kiss
these wounds of Thine.
How pitifully Thou art laid! Bloodstained, distended, cold and
dead! Joy of my soul, my Saviour sweet, Upon this sacred
winding-sheet.
Hail, awful brow! Hail, thorny wreath! Hail, countenance now
pale in death! Whose glance but late so brightly blazed, That
angels trembled as they gazed.
And hail to thee, my Saviour's side; And hail to thee, thou
wound so wide: Thou would more ruddy than the rose, True
antidote of all our woes!
Oh, by those sacred hands and feet, For me so mangled!
I entreat, My Jesus, turn me not away, But let me here
forever stay.
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)