Year C is devoted to reading the Gospel of Luke, who wrote significantly about care for people who were seen as insignificant in society. Specifically, he wrote about care of women, children, the poor, and the marginalized. Luke wrote of “the great reversal” in which God brings down the mighty and exalts the humble (2:52). This is often heralded with heck yes, more of this amongst activists, and that’s legitimate, but I also try to look and see where and how I am working in conjunction with the spirit of inclusion and equality. How can I embrace and embody the Samaritan? (The tale of the Good Samaritan can be a little uncomfortable for the establishment because “good” people pass by in succession before the Samaritan gives aid. Those that pass without being helpful are religious and righteous, but they do not act to address the suffering directly in their path, and this is a warning Luke is bringing as well as a lesson.)
This year, it seems the ideas of inequality, marginalization, and social justice are looming large in headlines, not as a call to action, exactly, but in the chaos that is happening as those in power act unilaterally and individually. Communities are having a difficult time knowing what to do, or how to respond.
I think it would be interesting to read a Gospel according to each of us, today. One of the hallmarks of Luke is that the message of the gospel is universal. “Repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.” (24:47). As we listen to the saber rattling, and hear the rending of the social fabric, Luke tells us that the message of Jesus and the Spirit of Galilee is with us now, right here. If I wrote a gospel, I suppose it would focus on investigating my efforts to live in the Spirit: how am I working to forgive others, to create a community of love?
My philosophical writings center on the idea of a beloved community. I believe this is important work, secularly as well as spiritually, and that it is the work directly at hand. Yes, I want to run away to a cabin up the mountain and retreat from the chaos and conflict, letting the world spin on its merry axis of doom and destruction. There’s even a group of Forest Monks who would love to have me. But that is not the work the Universe has in mind for me, at least not yet.
Luke writes of the Acts infused by the Spirit. Significantly, he writes that when Jesus was in the wilderness, it was the Spirit that led him, and brought him back to the world. In Acts, Luke tells us again that each of us is an essential piece of how a divine plan of universal love is achieved.
Luke is remembered for his gospel writings, but it’s less commonly cited that before he was an apostle he was a doctor. Luke, the stand-out firebrand, brings a message of healing, hope, and wholeness through acting in accordance with our values. We are, according to Luke, the heroes we have been waiting for, and we achieve this in small, everyday ways, every day.
