Mercy and Compassion in the Gospel of St. Luke

Homily for the Feast of St. Luke

St. Luke was a Greek-speaking convert of pagan origins, not an eyewitness to the events of the life of Christ. He writes for a non-Jewish audience. In addition to the Gospel that bears his name, he is also credited with writing the Acts of the Apostles. Consequently, Saint Luke is responsible for more than 25% of the Christian Scriptures.

It is probably more profitable for us to reflect on a couple very timely emphases in St. Luke's Gospel rather than trying to unravel the entire book. For instance, he stresses the concern of Jesus for members of society who were neglected or overlooked, such as women, sinners, and outcasts. The association of Jesus with these groups of society was certainly radical in the context of his time and an environment. We could add another group; namely, the poor. St. Luke emphasizes the concern of Jesus for the poor and his repeated warnings about the dangers of wealth and its pursuit.

The lessons and teaching particular to St. Luke's Gospel are given to us in some very famous stories such as that of the shepherds coming to the newborn baby in Bethlehem, the parable of the good Samaritan, the parable of the prodigal son, and the story of Lazarus and the rich man.

Another characteristic of St. Luke's Gospel is a strong emphasis on prayer. He pictures Jesus going apart to pray before important and difficult moments. It is from St. Luke's Gospel that we get most of the words of the prayer most often prayed in many of our devotions; namely, the "Hail Mary." Saint Luke emphasizes the times of prayer in his Gospel so that we will feel the need to pray just as Jesus felt the need to pray before he chose his 12 apostles, before his Transfiguration, and before his passion and death on the cross. His quiet communion with his Father shows us that we, who are mere human beings, have all the more reason to make prayer a constant in our daily life. Often it seems that we learn the utter necessity of prayer only through some of the hardships and disappointments that accompany our maturing. In the vigor and promise of youth it is much more difficult to appreciate it. Once we learn its necessity, it should accompany everything we do and think.

Our debt to Saint Luke includes the very powerful story of the Good Thief who was crucified alongside Jesus. While the other Gospels record that these two men ridiculed and mocked Jesus along with the crowd, Saint Luke tells us the story of this man's conversion and his request that Jesus remember him when he comes into his kingdom. It is also Saint Luke who records that Jesus forgave those who put him to death, telling his Father that they knew not what they were doing.

Finally, it is Saint Luke the tells us the story of the two disciples who were so disheartened by the news they received on the morning of the resurrection that they gave up and started to return to their home. As they sat down to a meal with Jesus, who up to that time had not been recognized by them, they realized that it was Jesus in their midst as he broke bread with them after having interpreted the Hebrew Scriptures.

We give thanks today for the evangelist who brought us these stories the tell us of God's mercy and compassion for all of us, mercy and compassion that characterizes the Eucharist that we will receive today.