Centurio Epistula - St. Luke the Physician

ALMIGHTY God, who didst inspire thy servant Saint Luke the Physician, to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of thy Son; Manifest in thy Church the like power and love, to the healing of our bodies and our souls; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

2 Timothy iv. 5 & St. Luke x. 1

If you are unable to celebrate this Feast day with a Eucharist among fellow Christians, you may like to visit the Chapel of the Centurion for Spiritual Communion.

Luke was an evangelist, physician, a Gentile and a companion of Paul. He wrote the Gospel of Luke and Acts in Greek. Luke alone, in his Gospel, provides us with the story of the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity in the Manger & Angelic Host, Circumcision, Presentation, and visitation of the Magi. Many of these events are celebrated in the Church. From Luke we have the Song of Mary and the Song of Simeon that are sung daily in the Church, and the words of the rosary - Hail Mary. His Gospel contains six miracles and eighteen parables not recorded in the other three Gospels.

In the Book of Acts we have the major feast of Pentecost. We also have the stories of Centurion Cornelius the Italian Cohort, and Centurion Julius of the Augustan Cohort who emerge from the pages of Acts as virtuous men: Cornelius to become the first Baptized Christian and Julius to protect the life of Luke from the frightened soldiers during a storm at sea. Luke's writings give us the stories of all four of the Centurions.

Luke wrote in the first person in Acts. He was with Paul during the voyage to Rome, and endured the hardships with him on his missionary journeys. Acts closes with Paul in house-arrest at Rome and we hear no more of Luke. Tradition has it that he wrote his Gospel in Greece and died in Boeotia. Constantine had his relics brought from Boeotia to Constantinople so that pilgrims could venerate them.

Those interested in Christian healing might like to visit the Order of St. Luke. www.orderofstluke.org


Visit the Order at www.OrderofCenturions.org