Christ the Cornerstone
We are called to share the peace and unity of Christ with others
Tomorrow, Oct. 18, is the feast of
St. Luke the Evangelist. Luke is the author of one of the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. He is revered for his ability to show us the teaching, healing and miracles of Jesus (culminating in his passion, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven) and for helping us to visualize the life of the very first Christians.
St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians refers to Luke as a physician. Thus, he is thought to have been both a physician and a disciple of St. Paul.
According to the Book of Revelation’s powerful imagery, four “beasts” give endless praise before the throne of God: a man, an ox, a lion and an eagle (Rev 4:6-11). These creatures are sometimes said to represent the four evangelists—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. St. Luke is identified with the ox, which symbolizes strength and sacrifice.
The Gospel for tomorrow’s feast day Mass describes the style of missionary discipleship which Jesus’ followers, and all of us who have been baptized, are called to embrace. As St. Luke tells us:
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. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment. Do not move about from one house to another. 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’ ”(Lk 10:1-9).
Jesus gathers us to himself to teach us and unite us as his sisters and brothers, but he does not allow us to cling to him. He sends us out in pairs (signifying that we are never isolated individuals or lone rangers).
The Lord tells us that the opportunities available to us as evangelists are many, but so are the obstacles. He sends us out— like lambs among wolves—to give witness to the peace and unity that are his alone. We are not to impose our views on anyone or force them to accept Christ’s teaching. We simply announce that God’s kingdom is at hand and invite all whom we meet to encounter the person of Jesus Christ.
A personal encounter with our Lord and Savior is the one thing necessary for effective missionary discipleship. In my recent letter, “Peace and Unity: A Pastoral Reflection,” I write:
At the heart of both Church and Mission is Christ-centered evangelization and catechesis in cooperation with the Holy Spirit to bring about the Kingdom of God, which is the very essence of true peace and authentic unity. To that end, a personal encounter with Jesus is essential to the spiritual life of every baptized Christian. No tenet of Christian faith or Catholic belief will ever make sense apart from an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ.
There is no record of St. Luke’s encounter with Jesus. We can reasonably assume that it was not dramatic, like St. Paul’s conversion, but most likely came through his experience of the Christian life as it was lived in the Church’s earliest days.
Many people also speculate that because Luke’s Gospel relates intimate details of the events surrounding our Lord’s birth and his childhood that this evangelist had direct access to Mary, the mother of Jesus. If that is the case, it certainly would have been one of the factors that influenced his personal encounter with her Son.
A tradition dating to the sixth century identifies Luke as the first artist to have painted the Virgin Mary. Whether or not this is the case, it is certainly true that St. Luke has given us the most vivid written images of the woman who said yes to God’s will and so, by the power of the Holy Spirit, became the Mother of the Incarnate Word of God.
As we celebrate this great feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, let’s ask this holy physician and evangelist to help us be more faithful to our calling as missionary disciples.
(To read Archbishop Thompson’s pastoral reflection in English and Spanish, go to archindy.org/pastoral2025. Study questions are available at facebook.com/ArchdioceseofIndianapolis.) †
This Week's Reflection Questions:
- A Question for Me: How might I be more like Mary—saying yes to God’s will, allowing the Holy Spirit’s power to help me become more and more the disciple God wants me to be?
- For a Child in My Life: Why do you think Jesus sent His friends out in pairs—two by two—to share His teaching about peace?
- My Role in the Community: In what ways am I a laborer for the harvest of Jesus? How might I be more diligent and effective in laboring for the Master of the harvest?