It is generally believed that Luke was a gentile doctor. He was a good, kind man who came to know the Lord from the great apostle Paul. After he had become a Christian, he went everywhere with Paul. Luke was a great help to him in spreading the faith. The Bible calls Luke "the beloved physician."

Saint Luke is the author of two books in the Bible: the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Although he did not meet the Lord Jesus while he was on this earth, he wanted to write about him for new converts. So he talked to those who had known Jesus. He wrote down all that they had seen the Lord do and heard him say. It is believed that Luke learned some important information from the Blessed Virgin Mary. That Mary most likely described the details of the angel Gabriel's appearance to her at the Annunciation. Mary could have best told about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.

Luke also wrote the story of how the apostles began to teach the message of Jesus after he went back to heaven. It is in Luke's book,The Acts of the Apostles, that we learn how the Church began to grow and spread all over the world.

Saint Luke is the patron saint of doctors. We are not sure when or where Luke died. He is one of the four evangelists, or Gospel writers.

Luke's Gospel speaks especially of God's mercy for people who are sorry for their sins. Sometimes we become afraid because of our sins and mistakes. We can ask Saint Luke to show us how to have confidence in the merciful Jesus, just as he did.