Suy Niệm Ngày lễ kính Thánh Luca, Thánh Sử 10/18/
Thánh Luca là ai? Chúng ta chỉ biết qua là ông đã sinh ra ờ thành phố Antioch và làm nghề thầy thuốc. Ông đã theo Thánh Phaolô như là người môn đệ trung thành của thánh Phaolô.. Qua các bài đọc trong sách Tông đồ công vụ, chúng ta có thể đoán được là Thánh Luca là người đồng hành rất thân thiết với Thánh Phaolô trên đường rao giảng tin mừng cho dân ngoại, và đặc biệt nhất là trong những giai đoạn gần cuối cuộc đời của Thánh Phaolô. Mặc dù có nhiều người bỏ rơi Thánh Phaolô trong những năm qua tù đày ở Rome, nhưng Thánh Luca đã luôn trung thành và ở gần với Thánh Phaolô cho đến khi thánh Phaolô được tử vì đạo.
Thánh Luca đã viết cả hai cuốn sách đó là sách Tin Mừng Thánh Luca và cuốn Tông Đồ Công Vụ. Trong số những thứ khác, tác phẩm của ông đã thể hiện tình thương yêu sâu sắc mà Chúa Giêsu đã dành cho người đau bệnh, những người nghèo khổ, những người phụ nữ bị bỏ rơi và những người sống bên lề của xã hội. Tin Mừng của Thánh Luca đã mang lại cho những người này có tiếng nói. Thánh Luca cho chúng ta thấy được sự chăm sóc dịu dàng của Chúa Giêsu đối với những người có yếu thế, nghèo hèn, đau khổ và Thánh Luca còn nhấn mạnh cái tầm quan trọng của họ trong ánh mắt của Thiên Chúa.
Có những tin đồn người ta nói rằng Thánh Luca có thể là một trong bảy mươi hai người mà Chúa Giêsu đã chọn và sai đi rao giảng Lời Chúa như trong đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay (Lc. 10). Vì lý do mà ông đã theo Chúa ngay từ lúc đầu, nên Thánh Luca đã chứng kiến được tận mắt những việc mà Thiên Chúa đã chữa lành những ngưòi bệnh tật, cũng như chứng kiến được cảnh Chúa Giêsu luôn có những cử chỉ săn sóc và để ý riêng đến những người thiếu may mắn và cần có nhu cầu. Qua Tin Mừng của Thánh Luca, chúng ta đã nhìn được rõ sự thương yêu của Chúa Giêsu nơi mọi người một cách riêng biệt và sâu sắc.
Tin Mừng của Thánh Luca được gọi là Tin Mừng của lòng nhân hậu, từ bi và Tin Mừng của niềm vui. Có bao giờ chúng ta đã cảm nhận được là Chúa Giêsu đã nhìn chúng ta bằng con mắt nhân từ với lòng từ bi, nhân hậu?? Lạy Chúa, giúp chúng con biết mang lại niềm vui Tin Mừng đến cho mọi người
St Luke, Evangelist (2 Tim. 4:10-17; Lk. 10:1-9 )
St Luke was a close companion of Paul, including near the end of Paul's life. Many people deserted Paul in these last years, but Luke chose to faithfully remain with Paul.
Who is St Luke? We know that he came from the city of Antioch and worked as a physician. Eventually, he wrote both the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. Among other things, his writings express the deep compassion Jesus had for the sick, the poor, women and people living on the margins of society. The Gospel of Luke gives these people a voice. Luke reveals Jesus' tender care for people in need and emphasizes how important they are in God’s sight.
It is said that Luke was also one of the seventy people sent out by Jesus in today’s Gospel passage (Lk. 10). Accordingly, Luke witnessed firsthand how God healed, nourished and blessed people in need. Luke saw that Jesus loved people personally and profoundly. The Gospel of Luke is known as the Gospel of compassion and the Gospel of joy. Have I ever sensed Jesus looking upon me with compassion? Lord, help me to bring the Joy of the Gospel to many people
18/10 St Luke, Evangelist
Opening Prayer: Jesus, you chose to work through others and still choose to do so. As I come to this time of prayer, I know that you call me to mission. It’s not enough that I live a good and moral life and that I pray, but through my baptism, I became responsible for joining you in your mission. You have called me. Lord, I turn to you with faith, hope, and love. Speak, Lord; your servant is listening.
Encountering Christ:
1. The Laborers Are Few: There is no question that the Lord needs laborers. Our collaboration has always been a part of God’s plan for humankind. We need men who say yes to Christ’s call to the priesthood and provide a personal encounter with Jesus through the sacraments. We need deacons who assist them. We need men and women religious who labor single-heartedly to build the Kingdom of Christ. And we need committed laymen and -women who live their vocation to transform the world. We can feel that the “laborers are few,” that there are so few actively working to bring the light of Christ to the world, and we can feel like “lambs among the wolves” when we try to address the challenging social issues of today’s world. However, Christ tells us today, as he told the seventy-two, that “The harvest is abundant…so ask the master to send out laborers.” May we pray regularly for vocations!
2. Sent in Pairs: It might seem that being sent out individually would be more efficient–that more people could be reached–but Jesus was concerned not only about those who would be reached by the seventy-two but also about the seventy-two themselves. The two working together had the opportunity to witness to the communion to which we are called within the body of Christ. They also had the opportunity to provide a witness to charity in their teamwork. How often do we invite others to the joy of serving the Lord and building Christ’s Kingdom?
3. Stability and Joy in Service: Jesus directed the seventy-two to accept the hospitality of others saying, “Do not move about from one house to another.” He was encouraging stability in their mission. In the life of service, it can be tempting to move from one apostolate to another as challenges arise. However, persevering through trials to provide a stable outreach is essential to any mission. It is said that people respond to a call of action only after seven or eight “touches.” Persevering is also important to the one working in the apostolate, as it is an opportunity to grow in self-knowledge, skills, and dependence on Christ. Apostolate can be a great source of joy. In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis writes, “The Gospel joy which enlivens the community of disciples is a missionary joy. The seventy-two disciples felt it as they returned from their mission.”
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, sometimes it seems like I have little to offer. It seems that my time is so limited. I’m not sure what my talents are or how they can be used to serve you. It seems as if so many are better prepared or more capable. I’m not sure I’m really needed. However, as I reflect on today’s Gospel, I can’t help but feel a renewed hope and a sense of responsibility to share your message with others. I ask for courage, inspiration, and zeal to face the challenges of today’s world and work to build up your Kingdom.
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will spend ten minutes prayerfully considering how you may be calling me to build up the Kingdom.
Meditation: Luke 10:1-9 Saint Luke, Evangelist
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” (Luke 10:2)
A few decades ago, a team of salespeople would have mapped out their territory and assigned a particular town to each salesperson. The salespeople would go to every home in that town, and if the door opened, they would try to sell their product, whether it was vacuum cleaners, encyclopedias, suits, or anything else.Now, in the age of huge department stores and Internet shopping, that personal approach isn’t practical anymore. Some might even call it old-fashioned and inefficient.
But that’s not the way Jesus looks at things. In fact, he used an “old-fashioned” approach when he sent out the seventy-two disciples. He could have just beamed his message of salvation into people’s brains and avoided all the messiness using ordinary human beings. Instead, he chose rough-hewn tradesmen and their wives to go out and deliver it personally. He sent them to demonstrate his message in action and then tell people that the kingdom of God was at hand.
We may wonder why Jesus would use such low tech means to announce the good news. He certainly isn’t against technology. He might indeed have used the tools of our media-drenched age if they had existed at the time. But then again, he might not. Think about the number of messages that are thrown at you every day. Would you pay attention to one more text message, one more tweet, or one more sound bite? Wouldn’t you be more likely to pay attention to a living, breathing person whose life has been changed by Christ? That’s why the disciples were so effective.
That’s also why Jesus has appointed you to be his witness. You have some very good news to deliver. Evangelization is not about delivering the exactly right facts. It’s about telling your own story of God’s mercy and presence—a story that only you can tell. So don’t worry about doing it perfectly. If God wanted perfection, he wouldn’t have chosen us humans to do the work. Just make yourself available, and let the Spirit work through you. If the seventy-two could do it, so can you!
“Lord, help me to see my corner of the world as your mission field. Give me a compassionate heart so that I can witness to your love and grace
Reflection:
Let’s think about Luke, whose feast is today. He was in the first wave of foreign converts to the Faith, and his Gospel could be said to be for foreigners: for people who were not familiar with Jewish Law and custom. It is distinctive in many ways.
`1. It was not written for Jews but for Gentiles, in other words, for the likes of you and me. For example, he seldom quotes the Old Testament, and never refers to Jesus as Rabbi (a Hebrew title), but as Master (a Greek title). He traces the genealogy of Jesus not from Abraham (the founder of the Jewish race) but from Adam (the ‘founder’ of the human race). He alone tells the parable of the Good Samaritan (a non-Jew). He has a habit of giving people and places the Greek equivalent of their Hebrew names: Go
Meditation: Luke 10:1-9 Saint Luke, Evangelist
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” (Luke 10:2)
A few decades ago, a team of salespeople would have mapped out their territory and assigned a particular town to each salesperson. The salespeople would go to every home in that town, and if the door opened, they would try to sell their product, whether it was vacuum cleaners, encyclopedias, suits, or anything else. Now, in the age of huge department stores and Internet shopping, that personal approach isn’t practical anymore. Some might even call it old-fashioned and inefficient.
But that’s not the way Jesus looks at things. In fact, he used an “old-fashioned” approach when he sent out the seventy-two disciples. He could have just beamed his message of salvation into people’s brains and avoided all the messiness using ordinary human beings. Instead, he chose rough-hewn tradesmen and their wives to go out and deliver it personally. He sent them to demonstrate his message in action and then tell people that the kingdom of God was at hand.
We may wonder why Jesus would use such low tech means to announce the good news. He certainly isn’t against technology. He might indeed have used the tools of our media-drenched age if they had existed at the time. But then again, he might not. Think about the number of messages that are thrown at you every day. Would you pay attention to one more text message, one more tweet, or one more sound bite? Wouldn’t you be more likely to pay attention to a living, breathing person whose life has been changed by Christ? That’s why the disciples were so effective.
That’s also why Jesus has appointed you to be his witness. You have some very good news to deliver. Evangelization is not about delivering the exactly right facts. It’s about telling your own story of God’s mercy and presence—a story that only you can tell. So don’t worry about doing it perfectly. If God wanted perfection, he wouldn’t have chosen us humans to do the work. Just make yourself available, and let the Spirit work through you. If the seventy-two could do it, so can you!
“Lord, help me to see my corner of the world as your mission field. Give me a compassionate heart so that I can witness to your love and grace
Reflection:
Let’s think about Luke, whose feast is today. He was in the first wave of foreign converts to the Faith, and his Gospel could be said to be for foreigners: for people who were not familiar with Jewish Law and custom. It is distinctive in many ways.
1. It was not written for Jews but for Gentiles, in other words, for the likes of you and me. For example, he seldom quotes the Old Testament, and never refers to Jesus as Rabbi (a Hebrew title), but as Master (a Greek title). He traces the genealogy of Jesus not from Abraham (the founder of the Jewish race) but from Adam (the ‘founder’ of the human race). He alone tells the parable of the Good Samaritan (a non-Jew). He has a habit of giving people and places the Greek equivalent of their Hebrew names: Golgotha becomes Kranion, the Place of the Skull.
2. Women feature very distinctively. For example, the nativity story is told from Mary's point of view. Other women are: Elizabeth, Anna, the widow of Naim, and the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet.
3. It is especially a Gospel of prayer and praise. He shows Jesus praying at all key moments of his life. Luke alone has the parable of the Friend at Midnight. The phrase “praising God” occurs more often in Luke than in all the others together: see especially the three great canticles, the Magnificat, the Benedictus and the Nunc Dimittis.
4. What we would lack if we didn’t have Luke’s gospel: a) the infancy stories, b) seventeen parables, c) the three canticles mentioned above….lgotha becomes Kranion, the Place of the Skull.
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