Saint Luke the Evangelist had such a strong friendship with Christ that the early Church discerned and chose his writings to be a part of the sacred canon of Scripture we use today. It is staggering to imagine how the fruits of his love for Our Lord and the Christian community will nourish believers until the end of time. Each time a person hears or studies the Gospel according to Luke or the Acts of the Apostles, he or she will be gathering spiritual strength from this great evangelist whom we celebrate today.
As a closet word-nerd and living in the age in which there are so many words, I take refuge in Sacred Scripture each morning as I open our devotion from Blessed is She. As we read and pray, we build one another up in prayer and a mystical friendship.
Friendship is one of those words, especially in the Blessed is She community, we could and should reclaim in all of its mystical glory. Saint Luke is a great model of the mysticism and the glory of true friendship.
In the first reading today, Saint Paul is lamenting the many people who left him along the mission. This is so real. Paul names his friend Demas who, “enamored of the present world, deserted me” and he names others who left him while saying Luke is the only one who stood by his side (2 Timothy 4:10-11).
Sisters, we know the cost of discipleship: persecutions, trials, misunderstandings, and betrayals. But if we stay with the Lord, like Saint Luke, the Holy Spirit will illumine our minds and our hearts. We will be led to understand the essence and secrets of Christ’s Way.
Then the most wondrous thing happens. We will occasionally look around and find a deep communion of hearts. Blessed is She is one instance of this union of hearts in Christ.
Our friendship is different than others because it is founded on the Highest and Most Perfect Love: Jesus Christ.
Just as He laid down His life for us, we are called to surrender all the holds us bound and fight against being “enamored of this world.” This is so that every word we speak, every gesture or glance, will be a proclamation of a divine, everlasting friendship.
We are so grateful you're here, sister. Thank you for sharing about our uplifting community with other women in your life.
Sister Maria Kim Bui is a Daughter of Saint Paul, women religious dedicated to evangelization in and through the media. She is originally from Tempe, AZ, spent most of her fourteen years in religious life in the northeast, some time in Texas, and now was recently asked to serve as the director of marketing and sales at the Sisters' publishing house in Boston. Find out more about her here. She is the author of our Blessed Conversations Mystery: Belong found here.
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