St. Luke, The Lord's Apostle And Physician

Since COVID-19 gripped the world, the first responders such as paramedics, doctors, nurses, law enforcement officers and emergency department personnel have been hailed as heroes and heroines. Indeed, they are.

Last Tuesday, I also became somewhat of a first responder when I was called out to administer the Last Rites to a Catholic elderly gentleman at a nursing home. His name was Jack. We first met at the South Morang Leisure Centre and have been friends for about five years. Whenever we met at the pool, sitting in the spa next to each other, we discussed something related to the faith. Often, at the end of our conversations, jokingly but in a serious tone, Jack would tell me, "Father, you must be the priest who must give my Last Rites when I die."

Although I had never expected it to eventuate, it happened three weeks ago, when Jack had taken seriously ill and was admitted to the local private hospital. On admission, he had given my contact details as his next of kin and specifically stated that I should be contacted if he was to die. His medical condition had deteriorated, and I was approached by the hospital staff when they knew he was going to die.

In the last hour Jack had in this life, a doctor and I, assisted by a Personal Care Assistant, attended to him as first responders.

Yes, I know: Last Rites (officially called the Viaticum, the sacrament of the dying) is predominantly practiced in Catholicism. It involves a priest administering Holy Communion to a dying person. A layperson designated a Eucharist Minister can also offer the Viaticum.

I have administered the Last Rites many times in my ministry over the last 30 years, but it was pretty different this time. Usually, the Last Rites are given in a hospital or nursing home. In that case, the medical personnel are not present during the administration. If there are any, only family members are present.

In Jack's case, I witnessed something entirely different. The female doctor who had been called out for Jack stood by me and offered to read the Bible and help me administer Holy Communion. Amazingly, the doctor knew the Apostles Creed (recited after the Confession in the Rite), recited it with Jack, then said the Lord's Prayer, and assisted me in giving Jack Holy Communion.

While the Rite was being administered, I did not notice anything unusual. Still, soon after it was over and Jack had died, I realised how amazing it was for a doctor not only to be present and assist with the administration of the sacrament but to know the Rite by heart and be a genuine participant in administering the sacrament.

Before the end of this message, I will tell you how the doctor helped me administer the Rite.

I wanted to share this story with you because today is St. Luke's Day, and the church remembers St. Luke and acknowledges and gives thanks to God for all healthcare workers, doctors and surgeons.

So, today, I want to tell you about Luke and his witness to Jesus. Through his witness to Jesus, Luke singularly, among the other three gospel writers, not only presents Jesus as Lord (Luke 2:11), Christ (Luke 2:11), the Son of Man (Luke 19:10), Son of God (Luke 3:22; 9:35), Teacher, (Luke 10:25), Saviour (Luke 2:11; 19:10), the Prophet (Luke 7:16) but also as divine doctor and physician. Luke describes Jesus as the divine physician in the context of reporting Jesus, saying: “It is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick” (Luke 5:31-32).

When discussing Luke, I also want to share the medical signature he left when telling us about Jesus in his gospel.

Although Luke is only mentioned by name three times in the Bible (Col. 4:14; Philemon 1:24; 2 Tim. 4:11), he is hinted at on several other occasions. He was a native of Antioch in Syria (today in south-central Turkey), and today, we might call him a Turk. Although a Gentile, he was a "God-fearer" who followed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

How do we know that he was from Antioch in Syria? We know this because, in the Acts of the Apostles, he mentions this city several times and gives details of it and shows some "civic pride" (Acts 11:19-30; 13:1; 14:26-28; 15:22, 30-35; 18:22). Interestingly, when he wrote about the six deacons in Jerusalem who were waiting on tables, he mentioned them by name. But he adds extra information for Nicolas by identifying his countryman and saying he was from Antioch (Acts 6:5).

Luke is the author of the Gospel of Luke. Although he had not met Jesus in person, he tells us that everything he wrote in the gospel was what he had heard about the events in Jesus's life from other eyewitnesses (Luke 1:2). He is also the author of Acts of the Apostles.