A Little about Luke

After "introducing you" in my last post to our newest American Saint, Oscar Romero, I received a suggestion that I do a reflection on All Saints and All Souls, up and coming rather soon now. That is under consideration but in the meantime I thought I could use some time and space today to share some thoughts on today's saint. It just might be helpful to share some thoughts with you on today's honoree.
That would be St. Luke.
At present those who take part with any regularity in the weekday Masses are hearing from the Gospel of Luke. He carries us through to the end of this Church  year, late November.
Then we also put aside Mark's Gospel which has carried us on the weekends this year. With the start of the new Church year and all through 2019, we will turn to the Gospel of Luke. He will be our guide and it might prove helpful to know some things about Luke and his writing. He is definitely different!
First off, Luke was likely a Gentile convert. The very name is non-Jewish.
Secondly, as such he would likely have not even met or personally known Jesus.
These color his Gospel. He writes primarily for Gentile readers. His writings are largely based on knowing others who knew Jesus, possibly even recollections from Mary. After all his is the only Gospel that tells of the birth of Jesus, the visit of the shepherds, the presentation in the Temple, the loss and finding of Jesus in Jerusalem. He had some good sources!
Something else to note in his Gospel - he focuses a lot on society's "outsiders" at that time. He shows that Jesus has a place for them, for everyone in the Kingdom.
And meals are a big part of the ministry of Jesus in Luke's Gospel. Each meal story, and there are ten, reveals some teaching about the Eucharist, leading up to the Great Supper and then the breaking of the bread at the table of those Easter disciples on the way to Emmaus.
As we honor Luke today with his feast, hopefully we can get ourselves ready to learn from this great writer/teacher/physician to appreciate the treasurer we have in our faith.