Luke left his profession as a doctor (Col 4:14) to tag along behind Paul on some of his missionary journeys. He had known that in following Jesus He was not assured of having a roof over his head (Lk 9:58). However, he still probably wasn't prepared for years of hunger, thirst, poverty, homelessness, manual labor, insult, persecution, and slander (1 Cor 4:11-13). He must have looked and felt like a failure on many occasions. However, after having put his hand to the plow, Luke did not look back (Lk 9:62). He persevered.

Luke also wrote down some of the preachings and teachings in the early Church and carefully arranged them in sequence (Lk 1:3). Luke thought that this might be helpful, especially to some of the Gentile Christians. Luke's Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles proved to be more than helpful. The Church discerned that what he wrote and compiled was the divinely inspired word of God. The Lord used Luke to write a large part of the New Testament. Luke's life is undoubtedly one of the most important lives in history.

Your obscure and difficult life will also be of eternal significance, if you do God's will.

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, April 2, 1996

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 3, 1996