The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.
Polyeleos Feast.
Colossians 4:5-9, 14, 18; Luke 10:16-21.
Read Luke 10:16-21
The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, beloved physician and companion of St. Paul, is the author of both the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. A Greek by birth and the only non-Jewish writer in the New Testament, Luke stands as a bridge between the Jewish roots of Christianity and its universal mission. His writings reveal a heart filled with compassion and a mind inspired by the Holy Spirit.
St. Luke presents Christ as the Divine Physician, who heals both body and soul. In his Gospel, Jesus declares: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor… to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind” (Luke 4:18). This verse encapsulates Luke’s vision of salvation: God’s mercy extending to all, especially the broken and marginalized.
St. Luke’s Gospel also contains the Magnificat, the song of the Theotokos, in which Mary proclaims, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46–47). Through these words, the Church upholds Mary’s role as the one who bore the Word made flesh. She is the most beautiful living temple of the living God.
Tradition holds that Luke painted the first icon of the Mother of God, further rooting his legacy and expanding his contribution to our beloved Eastern Tradition. St. Luke’s witness through word, image, and his emphasis on healing remains an important example of how faith and beauty together proclaim the Kingdom of God to all nations.