Luke is the author of the third Gospel, one of the so-called “Synoptic Gospels,” together with those of Matthew and Mark. They are called this because, when compared, these three Gospels reveal many similarities: parallel episodes, narratives, and even phrases that, if not identical, show only slight differences. Luke is also the author of the Acts of the Apostles, the lively account of the Christian community from Jesus’ ascension to Paul’s epic journey in Rome.
In traditional art, Luke is often depicted as a winged ox, a symbol rooted in his Gospel, which begins with Zechariah’s vision in the temple, a place of animal sacrifices. 

Who is Saint Luke?

Mentioned by Saint Paul in his Letter to the Colossians as “Luke, the beloved physician” (Col 4:14), he is distinguished by a tradition that holds him to have originated in Antioch, to the point that he was called “the Antiochene physician.” He was not a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth; he converted later and was not even among the first seventy-two disciples.
In the Acts of the Apostles, it is possible to trace the moment of his meeting with Paul: up to the sixteenth chapter, the narrative is in the third person, but beginning with Paul’s vision of a Macedonian inviting him to join them (Acts 16:9), it shifts to the narrative “we.” The subsequent narrative alternates between the first and third person, suggesting that Luke was not always at Paul’s side. However, when Paul was imprisoned in Rome in 61, Luke remained with him. Paul indeed writes to Timothy: “Only Luke is with me” (2 Timothy 4:11).

A close look at the poor, sinners, women…

In his Gospel, Luke begins with two chapters recounting the birth and childhood of Jesus. The heart of his work, however, is a series of chapters describing Jesus’ preaching during his symbolic journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. In his Gospel, we find six unique miracles and eighteen unique parables not present in the other Gospels.
Luke shows particular concern for the poor, victims of injustice, and repentant sinners, who are welcomed by God’s forgiveness and mercy. He is the one who tells of Lazarus and the rich man, the Prodigal Son and the Merciful Father who welcomes him back with open arms, and the forgiven sinful woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and dries them with her hair. He is the one who quotes Mary’s words in the Magnificat, when she proclaims that God «has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly, has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed» (Lk 1,52-53).
Luke recognizes the value of Jesus’ mission as a preacher, giving space to miracles and extraordinary deeds, while paying particular attention to his more human qualities: gentleness, goodness, and compassion.

These virtues, set against earthly wealth and power, are presented as a path of faith and spiritual elevation, a call to grace and the Holy Spirit as the source of salvation and eternal life. The Gospel according to Luke also devotes considerable space to women, recounting stories of women differing in age, social condition, “morality,” and courage.
The Acts of the Apostles also describe a journey: the glorious progression of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Asia Minor, to Greece, and finally to Rome, with Peter and Paul as its protagonists.

The figure of Mary, “blessed among all women”

The figure of Mary, the “servant of the Lord, blessed among all women,” could not be missing from his writings; she indeed shines with a special light.
Thanks to the direct account Mary gave him, we know the words of the Annunciation, the Visitation to Elizabeth, and the Magnificat; thanks to him, we know the details of the Presentation in the Temple and the exquisite portrait of the anguish of Mary and Joseph, who are unable to find twelve-year-old Jesus.
Luke’s figure is remarkably modern and close to the sensibilities of our time. He is also known as “the Evangelist of Mercy”: the world we live in needs to rediscover mercy, to recognize its need for the Father’s mercy… Let us rediscover the face of God between the lines of Luke’s Gospel; we will be fascinated!