18 October - Luke lived in the first century, of Syrian origin, born in Antioch. Some say that Luke was a pagan, but some sources say that he followed the Jewish religion. A doctor by profession, he was also a painter.
Rigorous and intelligent, curious to know Jesus, Luke went in search of him. He saw him and believed, and he received the word of the Lord: "Whoever wants to be my disciple, let him leave everything and follow me". He applied this to the letter, followed the Lord and repented. This is demonstrated by his account of the life of Christ: the passion of the Lord, his resurrection, his ascension to heaven and the reception of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost. All this is found in the Gospel that bears his name. Luke left Antioch, his homeland, and went to proclaim the Gospel.
Saint Luke was happy to follow Saint Paul, and he even took him as his teacher. He was with him and helped him, a faithful friend, and of all Paul's journeys, Luke was one of them. He did not complain and endured fatigue, suffering and persecution. According to the Canon of Muratori, a book written in the 2nd century, it was after the ascension of the Lord that Paul received Luke as his collaborator. He had no wife or children. He followed Paul from Macedonia until his arrest and execution in Rome. According to Epiphanius, after Paul's death, Luke returned to preach the gospel in Macedonia, Italy, Gaul and Dalmatia. He isolated himself and died in Boethia at the age of eighty-four. In the fourth century, his remains were transferred to Patras, to the Church of the Apostles in Constantinople, where the relics of the saints were venerated.
According to tradition, Saint Luke wrote the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles in the Holy Scriptures. His Gospel is characterised by a detailed account of the incarnation and birth of the Saviour, as well as the annunciation and the visit of the angel. As for the Acts of the Apostles, it is the account of the preaching of the Lord's disciples and the life of the Church in its early days. Tradition has it that Luke was blessed by Mary, the Mother of the Lord, to paint his portrait. The Blessed Virgin Mary stood before Luke while he was painting, and when the painting was finished, she blessed: "My grace will always be with this image." Many people respect this image made by the hand of Saint Luke. It should be noted that Saint Luke is the patron saint of doctors and painters.
