with it or with him?
"I have no one with me but Luke." —2 Timothy 4:11
St. Luke was a disciple of St. Paul, a missionary, one of the four evangelists, the author of Acts of the Apostles, and a doctor (Col 4:14). On Luke's feast day, however, the Church has not chosen readings to emphasize any of these claims to fame. Our first reading simply notes that Luke was with Paul. That doesn't sound like much until we remember Jesus' last words in Matthew's Gospel: "Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!" (Mt 28:20)
The Lord has not left us orphaned (Jn 14:18). He is always with us, and wants us always with Him and with each other. We need to be like those few people who were with Jesus before His death, even at the foot of the cross (Jn 19:25). We should visit with strangers, the sick, and the imprisoned (Mt 25:35-36). In this way, we will be visiting with Jesus. We need to eat with "beggars and the crippled, the lame and the blind" (Lk 14:13). We are called to live in community with our Christian brothers and sisters so as to be one with them as Jesus and the Father are one (Jn 17:21).
The question is not: "Are we with it?" but "Are we with Him and them?" Get with Him. Get with His people.
Prayer: Father, through, with, and in Jesus, all glory and honor are Yours!
Promise: "The Lord appointed a further seventy-two and sent them in pairs before Him to every town and place He intended to visit. He said to them: 'The harvest is rich but the workers are few; therefore ask the Harvest-Master to send workers to His harvest.' " —Lk 10:1-2
Praise: St. Luke emphasized the mercy and compassion of our Lord forever proclaimed in His Holy Word.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Meeting the Risen Christ on audio AV 4A-1 or video V-4A.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Bishop-Elect, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 26, 2011 (for 10-1-2011 through 11-29-2011) and May 26, 2011 (for 11-30-2011)
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