Bible
Study: 2nd Timothy 4, 10 to 17 and Luke 10, 1 to 9.
The saying
is so true that behind every successful person, there are so many others whose
names may never be mentioned yet the roles they play in the background are
indispensable. Behind the success of St. Paul as a Preacher and a great
evangelizer was a man called Luke, the author of the Gospel according to Luke
as well as the Acts of the Apostles. This man, Luke was not only a great
writer, he was also a trained physician.
As St.
Paul himself testifies in today’s first reading, Luke was right there with him
in prison looking after his physical health needs as well as assisting him in
the mission. From the way Paul attests, “Luke alone is with me,” I am tempted
to think that Luke must have also assisted with the writing of some of Paul’s
letters.
Something
striking about Luke was that he was a Gentile converted to the faith by St.
Paul himself. This conversion took place while Luke was treating Paul during an
illness in the course of his second missionary journey. When we read the
writings of Luke, the Gospel as well as the book of Acts, we cannot but see a
heavy influence of St. Paul so much so that St. Jerome and St. John Chrysostom
describe the Gospel of Luke as St. Paul’s Gospel.
Of all the
four Gospels, Luke is a winner when it comes to powerful story telling skills. In
particular Luke laid so much emphasis on Christian purity, poverty, joyfulness
and for the graphic descriptions of the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth
and Early Life of Jesus. Only a person who had the privilege of having a one on
one contact with Mary herself could have been so graphic. Luke is said to have
interviewed Mary in the course of his composition. In fact, Luke is credited to
have painted a portrait of Mary.
Luke alone
is with me! This sentence is a powerful testimonial by Paul himself of the
personality and importance of Luke as far the mission is concerned. The question
I ask myself is: will anyone speak well of me like this? Or will I remembered
for doing harm like the case of Alexander the Coppersmith who St. Paul reports
in that same first reading?
In today’s
Gospel passage, Jesus said: “The harvest is rich, but the labourers are few…” I
am sure if Jesus were to come to Nigeria today, he would say: “The labourers are
rich but the harvest is few!!!” Yes, today the labourers are wealthy but the
flock are empty, hungry, confused and scattered. The labourers show bad example
and thereby have no harvest of souls to show for their service.
Luke was
just a convert who offered himself as a labourer in the Lord’s vineyard. As a
doctor, he treated persons and cured their diseases with his medical knowledge.
As an Evangelist, he fed their souls with God’s word. As a writer, he used his
academic training to document the Gospel of Jesus having done research and
interviews from eye-witnesses. He also gave us a powerful account of the
activities of the early Church in a way that a good historian would do.
One thing I
have come to discover is that converts take their faith more seriously than
those of us who were born Christians from our mother’s womb! Are you a convert
to the Faith? Do not be shy, do not get scandalized by your fellow Christians
or follow their ways, God may have called you for a reason. Let your light shine!
We all are
labourers for God. Luke was a doctor yet he served in the vineyard. Let me ask
you: What are your academic qualifications? What skills do you have? What are
your hobbies? Do you know you don’t need to a pastor to serve in God’s
vineyard? Luke was not ordained a priest but look what he did for the history
of Christianity! Who do you think you are that you cannot contribute your own
quota to the kingdom of God?
Do something
today!
Let us
pray:
Lord Jesus,
make me your instrument. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
Fr. Abu
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