Word to the Wise
Tuesday, October 18, 2022 - Oct. 18 - St. Luke, evangelist
[2 Tim 4:10-17b and Luke 10:1-9]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.... Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"[Luke]
The Gospel According to Luke (whose feast day we observe today) was written for a community outside of Jerusalem, probably Antioch, that was developing a missionary thrust. The whole organization of his work, which includes the Acts of the Apostles, is designed to show the progression of the gospel from humble beginnings in Galilee to Jerusalem and then to Antioch and then to the whole Mediterranean area of the Roman Empire. Jesus' instructions to the first disciples (as well as the apostles) are meant to apply to the missionaries of Luke's community as well. That community was also under persecution. The message of these new missionaries was a simple one: "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand for you."
The instructions to the disciples are stark! They are to pray for more laborers, because it is the work of God that they are doing. They are to depend on the kindness of those to whom they preach! Simplicity of life and a message of hope would characterize their ministry. In the Acts of the Apostles, we can see how this played out in practice (at least ideally) in Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35. Such a scriptural witness is a challenge to our culture which emphasizes individualism and consumer-oriented lifestyle!
We can be additionally grateful to St. Luke for the wonderful parables and scenes which do not appear in the other three gospel portraits of Jesus: "The Prodigal Son," "The Good Samaritan," "The Rich Man and Lazarus." "The Tax Collector and Pharisee," "Zaccheus up in the tree," the story of Jesus' and John the Baptist's births! Without the Acts of the Apostles, we would know little about the incredible early spread of the faith. Our debt to St. Luke is great, indeed. We gladly salute him today! AMEN