Saturday 18 October 2008

Feast of St Luke

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St Luke. Luke wrote over a quarter of the New Testament, his work being contained in two volumes: his account of the Gospel and his account of the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles. He is often represented in symbolic form by a winged ox; the image here is taken from the Cathedral's 'Te Deum' window, which contains the symbols of all four evangelists. Many of the best-loved passages of the New Testament are owed to Luke's writings, including the accounts of the Annunciation and Visitation, some details of the birth of Jesus, some parables including the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, the story of the road to Emmaus and the accounts of the Ascension and Pentecost day. As we celebrate his feast we thank God for the revelation He has given us in the work of St Luke.