This article was originally published on Fri, 04 Nov 2022.

Our God, according to St. Luke…

As we approach the end of the liturgical season, we are also finishing our journey with St. Luke’s gospel. For the past year, Luke has guided us in our continued discovery of God. He depicted God in a way that speaks to our time in history. As I mentioned in one of my homilies, of the four evangelists, Luke is the only non-Jew. He was a gentile convert. A physician by profession, he knew of the pain and the suffering of those who were considered “outsiders.” In his gospel, he put emphasis on Jesus’ healing not only of the physical illness, but also reaching out to those who were emotionally and spiritually wounded – the Samaritan leper, the prodigal son, the prostitutes, tax collectors, and the like. In the gospel of Luke, we hear of a radical God who understands and welcomes everyone and whose love is universal. Jesus’ birth was not extraordinary, not kingly, but born in a lowly stable. The genealogy of Jesus begins with Adam, the father of all. Jesus calls the poor “blessed’ and the Samaritan “good.” He praised the Samaritan leper who came back after being healed, using him as an example of faith. He forgives one of the thieves with a promise, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” I wonder how we can continue the teachings of St. Luke. In a world that is so divided because of political and religious views, color, race and sexual orientation, Luke challenges us to reflect on who we really are. We are Christians. And not just followers, but more importantly disciples of Jesus. We have been taught by the Master of what that means. He told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Luke 6). He also taught us not to give up on people, to persevere in our faith and be persistent in our prayer.  Throughout the gospel, Luke calls upon the Christian disciple to identify with the Master, Jesus, who is caring and tender toward the poor and lowly, the outcast, the sinner, and the afflicted, toward all those who recognize their dependence on God. No gospel writer is more concerned than Luke with the mercy and compassion of Jesus. (USCCB – The Gospel According to Luke). If there is something we should always keep in mind from Luke’s gospel, it is this: God never gets tired of us. God continues to search for the lost, the least and the last and in finding them, there is much rejoicing in the kingdom of Heaven. What an awesome God! Towards the end of this month, we will celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday. Let us pay attention to the people around us, those around our Thanksgiving table and those who are not. Be grateful for them, remember them, pray for them, and most especially, love them with the love Jesus taught in Luke’s gospel - that forgiving, welcoming, understanding, lavish and unconditional love!

St. Luke, pray for us!