I have wondered if possibly there might be some rivalry between St. Luke and St. John? For example at the time when St. Luke wrote the third Gospel it was really the longest and most detailed and contained information about Mary and especially the Annunciation that the first two Gospel writers did not include. And then St. John one-ups him and writes not only the longest Gospel, but includes details about Mary at Cana, and even mentions that she was given to St. John to take care of by Jesus. Certainly the reason why there are no more Gospels after St. Johns is how can you beat his prologue, Chapter 6, or his theological writing style.
St. Luke though decided to write a sequel to his Gospel, the Act of the Apostles and instead of following the actions of someone like St. John decides to concentrate on St. Paul instead.
Now you really have to wonder what St. Luke thinks of the Book of Revelations written by St. John? Especially when he came across "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth." Lukewarm? Why Lukewarm. Why not Judaswarm? Or perhaps Ananiaswarm or Sapphirawarm. Surely if St. Luke wasn’t in the beatific vision this would have been seen as another snub by St. John towards him.
You also have to think that St. Luke must have been pretty pleased when Star Wars came out. Finally Luke is not associated with vomiting and Luke is actually the hero. Saint Luke use the force and pray for us.
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Hilarious! I wanted to write something amusing for St Luke’s Day and you beat me to it.
Yeah, but in Star Wars, Luke kisses his sister.
In England when they did a religious survey a good number of people put down ‘Jedi’ as their faith. A whole liturgy could be constructed around this. Instead of acolytes carrying candles they could carry light sabres. The priest could say, ‘The Force be with you’ and the response…’And also with you.’ For special music Han could sing a solo.
Careful, Mister Jester,
You know, your innocent liitle post could become the premise for a Dan Brown novel.
How about St. Luke vs. St. Mark regarding Jesus’ cross-training days?
St. Mark re-Marks of a woman cured miraculously by Jesus that she had previously “spent all her money on many doctors but was not any better but rather the worse”. Typical non-professional attitude and focus on results.
St. Luke, on the same incident: “She had consulted many physicians but they were unable to cure her.” Professional courtesy…
AND, I think, also evidence that she hadn’t just visited quacks, but people apparently recognized by Luke as well-trained in (Hippocratic?) medicine, thus subtly focusing on the quality of the miracle the Good Physician needed to heal her.
Looks very much like two slightly different viewpoints freely articulating the same inspired truth….
Perhaps it was sort of a sublimated Pauline – Petrine competition? Luke, Act-ing for Paul, snubs Peter after the Council of Jerusalem, while Peter, in his Second Letter, re-Marks,
“there are some things in the letters of my dear brother Paul that are difficult to understand, and the ignorant and the unstable distort them…”
However, it would be unfair to omit the verse’s amazing conclusion “…as they do the rest of Scripture also”, thus canon-izing Paul’s writings!
Translate the Gospel in Yoda-speak could you.
The Gospel of Luke into Yoda-Speak translate?
Try will I. No – what say I? No such thing as “try” be…. Begin will I:
“Many, to compile a narrative of the events which have been fulfilled in our midst, precisely as those events were transmitted to us by the original eyewitnesses and ministers of the word,
undertaken have….”
Phew. Tired am I. Someone else the next verse do!
The Magnificat only translate you. Begin again.
Oh nevermind. Here’s what the Yoda Speak Generator (http://www.yodaspeak.co.uk/index.php) did:
Of the lord my soul proclaims the greatness,
My savior my spirit rejoices in god.
For looked with favor on his lowly servant, he has. .
Call me blessed, from this day all generations will;
Done great things for me, the almighty has,
And his name, holy is. .
Mercy on those who fear him, he has.
In every generation. .
Shown the strength of his arm, he has,
Scattered the proud in their conceit, he has. .
Cast down the mighty from their thrones, he has,
And has lifted up the lowly. .
Filled the hungry with good things, he has,
And sent away empty, the rich he has. .
To the help of his servant israel, he has come.
For remembered his promise of mercy, he has,
To our fathers the promise he made,
To abraham and his children for ever.
To the father glory be, and to the son, and to the holy spirit;
As in the beginning, it was, is now, and for ever, will be. Amen.
Speaking of translations, what is the proper response going to be for “The force be with you?”
In all seriousness– I have often wondered if John’s Gospel is specificly anti-Thomas. It makes very clear that Thomas did NOT receive the Holy Spirit, but everyone else did. Thomas wasn’t even there when doves were being handed out.
It seems that an anti-Peter attitude is in the Gospel, which is cleared up towards the end. Why not an anti-Thomas attitude?
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