Saturday,
18 October 2025 – Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist
Mass Readings: 2 Tim 4:10–17 | Ps 145 | Lk 10:1–9
Key Verse to Meditate: “After this the Lord appointed seventy others and
sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself
intended to go.” (Lk 10:1)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Luke the
Evangelist, the beloved physician, companion of St. Paul, and the author of
both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Tradition
also regards him as the “Marian Evangelist” because he alone recounts in detail
the beautiful stories surrounding the Blessed Virgin Mary — the Annunciation,
the Visitation, the Nativity, and the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the
Temple. Through these narratives, Luke reveals the tender heart of Mary and,
above all, the merciful heart of God.
The Gospel of Mercy: St.
Luke’s Gospel is often called the Gospel of Mercy, for it highlights the
compassion of Jesus towards sinners, the poor, and the marginalized. Only in
Luke do we find the unforgettable parables of the Prodigal Son, the Good
Samaritan, and the Lost Sheep — stories that reveal the boundless
mercy of the Father who seeks the lost and rejoices when they return. Luke
portrays Jesus as the friend of sinners, the healer of the broken, and the
Saviour of the outcast.
The Evangelist of
Charity: Furthermore, St. Luke is often
called the Evangelist of Charity, for he vividly portrays
Christ’s boundless love for the poor, the outcast, and the sinner. This is
beautifully illustrated in the Parable of the Good
Samaritan, where love transcends boundaries, prejudices, and
divisions. In Luke’s Gospel, we encounter profound stories of conversion and
grace — the sinful woman forgiven and embraced in the house of Simon the
Pharisee, and Zacchaeus, the tax
collector whose heart is radically transformed after his encounter with Jesus.
The Evangelist
of the Holy Spirit: St.
Luke is also rightly honoured as the Evangelist of the Holy
Spirit, for in his second work, the Acts of the Apostles,
he eloquently depicts the Spirit’s powerful presence in the early Church —
guiding, strengthening, and empowering the apostles to carry the Gospel to the
ends of the earth. He is equally the Evangelist of Faith,
Peace, and Joy, weaving these divine virtues throughout his
writings. His Gospel radiates a deep love for Christ and a passionate desire to
share the Good News, especially with the poor and those most in need of mercy.
A Spiritual
Treasury: St. Luke’s writings are
a spiritual treasury, inviting us to draw from
them with hearts full of gratitude. Above all, he calls us to give ourselves
entirely to the Lord — to live as true disciples who take up the cross each day
with faith and love. It is in this spirit of self-giving that our love becomes
genuine and our lives bear the true fruits of the Spirit: peace,
joy, and kindness.
Missionary Spirit: St. Luke’s life perfectly
reflects this missionary spirit. He was a physician, and through his writings,
he became a healer of souls. His Gospel continues to bring comfort to
the afflicted and hope to sinners. He accompanied St. Paul through trials and
imprisonment, remaining faithful until the end — as Paul writes in today’s
first reading: “Only Luke is with me.” (2 Tim 4:11)
The Mission of the Seventy
The Gospel passage for today (Lk 10:1–9),
traditionally chosen for the feast of St. Luke every
year, tells us that Jesus appointed seventy others and sent them ahead of Him
in pairs to every town and place He intended to visit. Some traditions suggest
that St. Luke himself might have been among these seventy disciples, though
Scripture does not confirm it. Whether or not he was part of that group, his
life and writings certainly embody the same missionary spirit.
The Significance of Number Seventy:
The number seventy carries deep
symbolic significance in the Bible. In the Old Testament, after crossing the
Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites came to Elim
following their journey through the wilderness. The Church Fathers interpreted
the twelve springs at Elim as representing the twelve
apostles, and the seventy palm trees
as symbolizing the seventy disciples: “They
came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they
camped there by the water” (Ex 15:27; cf. Num 33:9).
Furthermore, in Numbers 11:16–30,
Moses, at the command of the Lord, appointed seventy elders
to assist him in leading and guiding the people of Israel. In a similar way,
only St. Luke’s Gospel records both the sending of
the twelve apostles (Lk 9:1–6) and the sending of
the seventy disciples (Lk 10:1–12). The twelve
symbolize the mission to the twelve tribes of Israel,
while the seventy represent the
broader mission to the nations of the world,
signifying the universal call of the Gospel to all peoples.
The
Significance of the Numbers: The question
naturally arises: what is the significance of the numbers twelve and seventy?
These two episodes, though close together, differ greatly in details. The
appointment of the seventy disciples was to minister to all people, without
distinction, preparing them to receive Jesus in His ministry. It mirrors the
account in Acts 6:1–7, where seven were chosen to serve the Hellenists.
Notably, unlike in Matthew 10:5-6, where Jesus instructs the twelve to avoid
preaching to the Gentiles and Samaritans, the mission of the seventy was not
limited to the house of Israel. Their mission was broader but also temporary,
meant to prepare the way for Jesus' own preaching.
Lessons from St. Luke and
the Gospel
The central message of
today’s Gospel remains timeless: “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers
are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His
harvest” (Lk 10:2). The seventy disciples were entrusted with the sacred
task of proclaiming the Word of God and preparing hearts to receive Christ.
Jesus, however, makes it
clear that their mission will not be easy. He sends them forth “like lambs
among wolves,” a vivid image that reveals both the vulnerability and the
courage required of His messengers. Just as Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, gave
His life for the salvation of the world, His disciples, too, must be ready to
sacrifice their lives for the sake of the Gospel. This striking imagery calls
for absolute trust in God and complete surrender to His providence.
The prophet Isaiah offers a
beautiful vision of peace where wolves and lambs dwell together in harmony
(Is 11:6; 65:25) — a foreshadowing of the ultimate reconciliation that God will
bring about in His Kingdom. Yet, until that time, the disciples must journey
through a world that often resists or rejects their message.
They are not to seek
comfort, security, or self-preservation, but to rely entirely on the divine
providence of God. In abandoning themselves to His care, they find true
freedom — the freedom to serve without fear, to love without measure, and to
proclaim the Gospel without compromise.
True poverty, both of
spirit and in practice, becomes their strength. It enables them to depend not
on worldly possessions or human approval, but solely on the power of God. In
this way, they become humble and faithful servants of the Word, bringing the peace
and joy of Christ wherever they go.
Points
for Personal Reflection
Like
St. Luke the evangelist, we are called to love and cherish the Word of God. It
is both a privilege and a grace to proclaim it.
Do
we have a genuine desire to share God’s word?
Do
we recognize that preaching is God’s work, and that He will guide us in
fulfilling His mission through our lives?
Are
we willing to go out like lambs among wolves, trusting in God's providence as
we bring His message to a world in need?
Conclusion
Dear
friends, on this feast of St. Luke, let us imitate his zeal for the
Gospel, his compassion for the poor, and his fidelity to the mission of Christ.
May we, too, become bearers of the mercy and peace of Jesus wherever we are
sent.
Let us
also pray for all evangelizers, catechists, and missionaries — that they may
continue the work of Luke and the seventy disciples, proclaiming with joy: “The
Kingdom of God has come near!”
May the
example of St. Luke inspire us to make our lives a living Gospel — healing,
forgiving, and bringing the presence of Christ to all we meet. And may our
hearts, like his, always echo the spirit of his faith-filled Gospel: “Rejoice
in the Lord always!” (Phil 4:4).
