Luke is the only one with me. (2 Tim 4:9-17)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101822.cfm
The Letters to Timothy are written in Paul’s name. And they include this interesting detail “Luke is the only one with me.”. It is one of the few mentions of a “Luke” in the Scriptures. As we know, the gospel writers are anonymous. The names associated with the gospels were added later by the church. So what we celebrate today is not so much a person, but rather a gospel. And what is so unusual about the gospel writer “Luke” is that the gospel that bears his name is in two volumes, Luke & the Acts of the Apostles, more commonly referred to as Luke-Acts. And the gospel writer intended that both volumes be considered “gospel.” And as the former translation of the Preface of Apostles used to read, we are called to be the “living gospel for all people to hear!”
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saint Luke, evangelist, October 18
