The Vocation of Saint Luke
The Profile of the New Evangeliser
Pope Benedict XVI urged Christians to commit themselves with greater conviction to evangelisation, to rediscover the “joy of believing” and to recover the “enthusiasm for communicating the faith” (Porta Fidei, no. 7). Looking at the figure of Luke can help us to live at the service of “believing and evangelising” and to experience the joy of the Gospel, to which Pope Francis invites us.
Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed a Year of Faith beginning on 11 October 2012, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and concluding on 24 November 2013, the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe. In October 2012, the Synod of Bishops took place in Rome on the theme “The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.”
On that occasion, the Pope stated that “today it is necessary for the Church to undertake with conviction a new evangelisation to rediscover the joy of believing and to find anew the enthusiasm for communicating the faith” (Porta Fidei, no. 7). He therefore invited us to live “at the service of believing and evangelising” (no. 12).
Whom might we choose as a model for this time? I propose the figure of the evangelist Saint Luke, whose feast we celebrate on 18 October. The story of his vocation has not come down to us, but his clear and transparent image as a disciple and missionary of the apostolic Church shines through in his two writings — the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles (a single work conceived in two parts) — and in the references to him found in some of Saint Paul’s letters.
A likeable figure
According to tradition, Luke was a native of Syria (Antioch), of Greek culture and pagan origin. He was a physician by profession (“the beloved physician”: Colossians 4:14). He became a collaborator of Paul (Philemon 24) during Paul’s second missionary journey, around the year 49 (cf. Acts 16:10, where Luke begins to write using “we”, the first person plural). He remained faithful at Paul’s side in his final days before martyrdom in Rome (2 Timothy 4:11). According to tradition, he was also a painter (he is said to have painted the first icon of the Virgin Mary!).
These particular qualities already outline a person who inspires natural sympathy at first sight. But it is above all his human and spiritual sensitivity, which shines through his writings, that makes him such an appealing, luminous, and contemporary figure. Looking more freely into Luke’s personality, I can discern a few characteristics that would make an excellent portrait of the “new evangeliser”. I will choose four of them.
Herald of joy
One of the characteristics of Luke’s Gospel is joy. If “gospel” means “good news”, then the first announcement (by the angel Gabriel to Zechariah) is itself a “gospel”: “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice…” (1:14). The same angel says to Mary: “Rejoice, full of grace” (1:28). Mary’s Magnificat is an outburst of joy (1:47). But the “great joy”, “which will be for all the people”, is the birth of the Messiah (2:10).
The whole Gospel of Luke is a story sown with joy. Through his new word, his marvellous deeds, and his closeness to all, Jesus arouses wonder and praise wherever he goes. The Gospel concludes by saying that the apostles returned to Jerusalem “with great joy”, praising God (24:52–53).
The missionary, the evangeliser, is first and foremost a herald of joy, a bearer of a message that warms the spirit, rekindles hope in the heart, and brings a smile to the lips. For this reason, he or she must be a joyful person who takes seriously the mission of being a “bringer of good news” (Isaiah 40:9).
“The new evangelisation must be carried out with a smile, not with a frown,” the Cardinal of New York, Timothy Dolan, recently reminded the Pope and the College of Cardinals. He recalled what another cardinal, John Wright, had once said to seminarians during a Mass at St Peter’s: “Seminarians, do me and the Church a favour: when you walk through the streets of Rome, SMILE!”
This is what we often lack: the SMILE! It is not the “clerical collar” that should distinguish the “new evangeliser”, but his or her great open, sincere, contagious smile!
Singer of God’s goodness
Luke’s book is the “Gospel of Mercy” — not only because of the famous fifteenth chapter with its three parables of mercy. Jesus came “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (4:19). Salvation is now within reach of all: “All flesh shall see the salvation of God” (3:6). It is an opportunity to be seized without delay — today. The word “today” is a key term in Luke’s Gospel, from the birth of Jesus, through his inaugural sermon in the synagogue of Nazareth and his meeting with Zacchaeus, to his second-to-last word on the cross addressed to the “good thief” (2:11; 4:21; 13:32; 19:9; 23:43). At the great banquet of the Kingdom, the “poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” (14:21–23) are all invited — all categories of people, even those whom the old Law excluded from worship.
Luke highlights the goodness, gentleness and compassion of Jesus. The patristic tradition calls him “the scribe of Christ’s meekness”. Jesus shows particular affection for the weakest. He declares himself sent to “bring good news to the poor” (4:18). He sits at table with sinners and women of ill repute, because he has come to save the “lost” (5:32). He is the mirror of the Father’s goodness, received in his deep experience of prayer — another theme dear to Luke. Seven times Luke alludes to Jesus’ prayer (a highly symbolic number) and three times he describes it explicitly.
This is the second characteristic that should stand out in the new evangeliser: GOODNESS, the very essence of the Gospel. Perhaps we need to change our attitude towards society: to have a heart captivated by the love of God, yes, but also fully incarnate in reality, passionate about all that is human, attentive to the sighs of humanity. The monk Enzo Bianchi recently said: “The crisis of faith today, before being a crisis of faith in God, is a crisis of human trust; it is a lack of trust in others, in life, in the future — and, above all, a weakness in believing in love” (cf. 1 John 4:16).
The new evangelisation will be effective to the extent that it is an act of goodness: starting from the Heart of God, reaching the hearts of today’s men and women, to transmit to them the heart of the Gospel through the sensitive and passionate heart of the evangeliser.
Enthusiast of diversity
Luke presents an image of Jesus who welcomes everyone, drawing criticism from the Pharisees, the “pure” and the “righteous” (5:30). He teaches tolerance: “Whoever is not against you is for you” (9:50). Even his adversaries acknowledge that he “shows no partiality” (20:21).
But unreserved openness to diversity is a fruit of Pentecost. Proselytes “from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5) gathered in the Upper Room. And despite the abundance of the “catch”, “the nets were not torn”. Luke emphasises the harmony of the early Jerusalem community, which “was of one heart and one soul”, sharing all things in common (Acts 4:32–35), and winning the favour of all (Acts 2:47).
In ever-widening circles, the Gospel crosses boundaries: from Judea to Samaria, to the great pagan cities; from the synagogue to the various cultural environments of the Greco-Roman world, reaching to “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Despite inevitable difficulties (Acts 6:1), the Church chose openness to universality. Initiated by Peter (Acts 10), it found in Paul its principal champion and was ratified at the “Council of Jerusalem” (Acts 15).
Today, “diversity” (in all its forms — ethnic, cultural, religious, philosophical, ethical…) has entered through our very doors. It is, in a sense, an unstoppable phenomenon. But it frightens us! There is a strong temptation to build new barriers and walls of exclusion, to keep the “stranger” out — even within the Church. Enzo Bianchi warns against this “temptation to adopt defensive positions, to entrench ourselves in citadels that rely on numbers and walls: it is easy to give in to this lack of faith in the Lord of history, the Lord who loves humanity, the Lord who ‘wants everyone to be saved’ (1 Timothy 2:4).”
In biblical language, “different” translates as “holy”. God is the “Holy of Holies”, the “Completely Other” par excellence. But his “difference”, revealed in Jesus, does not make us afraid. It is an immeasurable richness shared with overflowing generosity. The new evangeliser must be a “saint” convinced that diversity is a gift — a source of mutual enrichment.
Driven by the wind of the Spirit
Luke is also the man of mission. When the early Christian community was still living in expectation of Christ’s imminent return, Luke — prophetically — emphasised the urgent and fundamental task of the Church: to proclaim the Gospel and to be a witness of Jesus “to the ends of the earth”, sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The book of Acts has even been called “the Gospel of the Holy Spirit”. It contains more than fifty references to the Spirit. It is He who impels the Church to set out on the roads of the world to show “the Way” (Acts 19:19, 23). He is the great protagonist of evangelisation (Acts 8:29, 39; 13:3; 16:6–7).
Today there are clear signs of fatigue and discouragement in communities of “ancient Christian tradition”. The “new evangelisation” is a call to recover courage and to allow ourselves to be guided by the Breath of the Spirit. The “mission in the Holy Spirit” represents the youthfulness of the Church, a sign of its vitality, the guarantee of its perpetual springtime. It gives birth to new communities and renews the “old” ones.
The new evangeliser is the one who opens the sails of his or her boat to the Wind of the Spirit, sailing swiftly and confidently towards new horizons. For “those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall soar on wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). A mission based merely on human strategies, by contrast, tries to move forward by rowing — and will soon succumb to the fatigue of rowing against the wind.
Fr. Manuel João Pereira Correia, mccj
