About Today
Saturday 18 October 2025
Saint Luke, Evangelist Feast
The Lord is speaking to us in the gospel: come, let us adore him.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 4. Liturgical Colour: Red.
Saint Luke, Evangelist
He was a Greek doctor who converted to Christianity. He was a companion of the Apostle Paul, and wrote his Gospel in accordance with Paul’s teaching. He also wrote the Acts of the Apostles, which narrates the early history of the Church up to Paul’s first stay in Rome. As a Greek, he takes care to explain to Gentile readers Jewish customs and the meaning of Hebrew words.
Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist
Gospel: Luke 10:1-9
At that time: The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace be to this house!” And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the labourer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” ’
Reflection on the painting
Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist, writer of the one of the four Gospels writers and the Acts of the Apostles. Born in Antioch, a city in modern-day Turkey, he was believed to be a physician by profession, according to early Christian tradition. Luke was not one of the original twelve apostles but was a close companion of Saint Paul, accompanying him on several missionary journeys. His Gospel offers a unique perspective, emphasising the universality of Christ’s message. Luke portrays Jesus as the Saviour for all people, not just the Jewish nation. This inclusivity is seen in his attention to Gentiles, outcasts, the marginalised, and the poor, highlighting themes of compassion and social justice. For example, the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, unique to Luke, emphasise mercy, forgiveness, and love for one’s neighbour, regardless of status or background. Luke is thought to have died at an old age in Greece, around 84 AD.
Saint Luke is also the patron saint of artists, a title largely attributed to the ancient tradition that he was an artist himself. According to legend, Luke painted several portraits of the Virgin Mary and Christ, which contributed to his association with the visual arts. While there is no definitive historical evidence of his artistic work, this tradition endured throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, and Luke became closely linked with the practice of sacred art. His detailed and vivid descriptions in the Gospel, are indeed rendered like an artist applying paint onto a canvas, capturing a beautiful picture of Christ and his message. The emotional depth of his subjects, further reinforces a connection to the creative arts.
In the Eastern Church, Saint Luke is especially revered as the original iconographer, credited with ‘writing’ the first icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Over the centuries, many artists have depicted this scene by showing Saint Luke seated before an easel, painting a portrait of the Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus. Rogier van der Weyden’s Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin is one of the earliest Flemish paintings (circa 1435) to celebrate the evangelist Luke as the patron saint of artists, linking his Gospel authorship with a medieval tradition that he painted the first portrait of the Virgin. The work shows the Virgin Mary nursing the Christ Child in a domestic setting, while Saint Luke kneels in front, carefully sketching her likeness with silverpoint. The intimate scene of the Virgin lactans (feeding her child) underscores both the humanity of Christ and the Incarnation as a source of nourishment..
Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin,
Painting by Rogier van der Weyden ( 1399-1464),
Painted circa 1435–40,
Oil on panel
© Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Saint Luke, Evangelist Feast
The Lord is speaking to us in the gospel: come, let us adore him.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 4. Liturgical Colour: Red.
Saint Luke, Evangelist
He was a Greek doctor who converted to Christianity. He was a companion of the Apostle Paul, and wrote his Gospel in accordance with Paul’s teaching. He also wrote the Acts of the Apostles, which narrates the early history of the Church up to Paul’s first stay in Rome. As a Greek, he takes care to explain to Gentile readers Jewish customs and the meaning of Hebrew words.
Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist
Gospel: Luke 10:1-9
At that time: The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace be to this house!” And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the labourer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” ’
Reflection on the painting
Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist, writer of the one of the four Gospels writers and the Acts of the Apostles. Born in Antioch, a city in modern-day Turkey, he was believed to be a physician by profession, according to early Christian tradition. Luke was not one of the original twelve apostles but was a close companion of Saint Paul, accompanying him on several missionary journeys. His Gospel offers a unique perspective, emphasising the universality of Christ’s message. Luke portrays Jesus as the Saviour for all people, not just the Jewish nation. This inclusivity is seen in his attention to Gentiles, outcasts, the marginalised, and the poor, highlighting themes of compassion and social justice. For example, the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, unique to Luke, emphasise mercy, forgiveness, and love for one’s neighbour, regardless of status or background. Luke is thought to have died at an old age in Greece, around 84 AD.
Saint Luke is also the patron saint of artists, a title largely attributed to the ancient tradition that he was an artist himself. According to legend, Luke painted several portraits of the Virgin Mary and Christ, which contributed to his association with the visual arts. While there is no definitive historical evidence of his artistic work, this tradition endured throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, and Luke became closely linked with the practice of sacred art. His detailed and vivid descriptions in the Gospel, are indeed rendered like an artist applying paint onto a canvas, capturing a beautiful picture of Christ and his message. The emotional depth of his subjects, further reinforces a connection to the creative arts.
In the Eastern Church, Saint Luke is especially revered as the original iconographer, credited with ‘writing’ the first icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Over the centuries, many artists have depicted this scene by showing Saint Luke seated before an easel, painting a portrait of the Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus. Rogier van der Weyden’s Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin is one of the earliest Flemish paintings (circa 1435) to celebrate the evangelist Luke as the patron saint of artists, linking his Gospel authorship with a medieval tradition that he painted the first portrait of the Virgin. The work shows the Virgin Mary nursing the Christ Child in a domestic setting, while Saint Luke kneels in front, carefully sketching her likeness with silverpoint. The intimate scene of the Virgin lactans (feeding her child) underscores both the humanity of Christ and the Incarnation as a source of nourishment..
Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin,
Painting by Rogier van der Weyden ( 1399-1464),
Painted circa 1435–40,
Oil on panel
© Museum of Fine Arts, Boston