First Advent with St. Luke

Introducing Luke for Advent Season

This year we enter into the spirit of Christmas with St. Luke. Understanding the purpose and the intention of the author of the Gospel of Luke enable us to better grasp better the meaning and the saving intention of God through Jesus. The Gospel of Luke was written in Greek, whereby and Luke is the only Gentile Christian writer of the New Testament. The language of Luke reveals that he is an educated man and a physician (Col 4:14). Being a Greek and a doctor would explain his scientific (often makes reference to sickness and diseases) and orderly approach to the book. In his gospel written to the Gentile, Luke introduces Jesus to them. Among the various themes expounded through the Gospel, there is one most significant theme running through the Gospel, namely ‘Jesus, the Saviour of the World’. Luke is the only one among the other Gospel writers to have coined the word or title “Saviour” and attributed it directly to Jesus. The title “saviour” is derived from the Hebrew root, Yeshua, which corresponds to the Greek spelling Iesous, from which comes the English spelling Jesus. As a belief among the Hebrew people, the naming of the person signifies the destiny of the person. One is born into the world for a purpose and that very purpose is realized through that very name. The calling of the name constantly reminds one of his or her destiny or his or her role in the world. In the case of Jesus, the invocation of the name Jesus not only reminds us of His destiny but also brings about his saving grace to all of us.

The opening words of the Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah are very assuring for this season. As a prophet who lived in the midst of uncertainty of the 7^th century B.C.E, a torn-situation whereby his people were threatened by the rising power of the Assyria empire in the North and Egypt in the west and south, – it was indeed his call to speak of hope. A prophet does not lie or provide an easy answer. A prophet rises above all these situations and clings to the promise made by the Lord, “I will make a virtuous Branch grow for David....In those days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell in confidence. And this is the name the city will be called: The Lord-our-integrity.” The promise made by the Lord will not be forgotten and the role of the prophet is to unearth this promise. The prophet is the one who holds out a vision for us to cling, especially when we are in the midst of a difficult situation, thus finding it difficult to look beyond. The strength of Jeremiah's proclamation regarding the coming of the righteous branch lies in the fact that these words speak from the perspective of ultimate power, the power of God. It is exactly when the problems of our people are most murky and complex, when the future seems most bleak, that we turn to the word of the Lord for vision. Hold on to this image of that righteous branch and let the words of Jeremiah absorb into our hearts. Let the words of Luke, “Your liberation is near at hand,” constantly echo in our minds and hearts as we step into season of Advent.