St. Luke

            
            
             Luke's unique perspective on Jesus can be seen in the six miracles and eighteen .
             parables he wrote about in his Gospel. Not too much is known about Luke's early life. .
             Historians believe that St. Luke was born a Greek and a Gentile at Antioch in Syria. He .
             was probably born a slave, which meant that at that time that he was educated in .
             medicines and healing, a common practice during this time period, and took over the role .
             of family physician. Since I have always been interested in herbs and plants and how they .
             relate to pharmaceutical purposes, I have been interested in St. Luke, often referred to as a .
             patron saint of physicians. .
             Luke's Christian ministry is described in Acts. Luke joined St. Paul at age fifty-one and .
             accompanied him first to Samothrace, Neapolis, and finally Philippi. While Paul was in .
             prison, Luke kept the church going in his absence. Although a specific date is not known .
             for his birthdate, Luke lived during the time of St. Paul and is believed to have died at age .
             eighty-four after settling in Greece to write his account of Jesus' life. He traveled with St. .
             Paul as a missionary during his fifties and later settled in Greece to write his Gospel. .
             (Catholic University of America, 2000) .
             Historians don't have much information about his family other than he was probably a .
             slave trained to be a doctor. The main things St. Luke is noted for are being a physician, .
             being a missionary with St. Paul and writing one of the four Gospels of Jesus. The Gospel .
             according to St. Luke is the most descriptive of all four Gospels. St. Luke describes in .
             detail the miracles and many parables of Jesus. It is clear that St. Luke also had a special .
             devotion to Mary and was referred to by St. Paul as "Luke, the beloved physician." .
             (Colossians 4:14) .
             Forgiveness and God's mercy to sinners is of primary importance to Luke. Only in .
             Luke do we hear the parable of The Prodigal Son. Throughout Luke's Gospel, Jesus takes .