The Last Supper and Passion Account of St. Luke. Chapters 22-24.
The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.
Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1946, reprinted in 2006. All ages.
Each of the Four Gospels tells the faithful a beautiful and inspiring account of the life of our Blessed Savior.
The first gospel, St. Matthew’s, is a majestic account of how Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises made to the Chosen People during the times of the Old Testament. There is a great amount of detail about Jewish life in the first Gospel.
St. Mark’s account of Christ is very brief and has a human freshness about it. In this Gospel, we see Jesus becoming angry at times, and showing His human nature.
St. John’s Gospel is quite different than the first three Gospels in that we are often shown the divine side of Our Lord. Because of this, St. John’s Gospel often seems to soar above the world.
St. Luke’s beautiful Gospel is different in its nature since it was written for the Gentiles. St. Luke repeatedly shows Jesus loving the poor, the downtrodden and those outside the Jewish covenant. His passion account is very important, since some of the pivotal events occurring during the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus are only found in St. Luke’s writing. A Gentile companion of St. Paul, St. Luke was a physician and details the physical effects of these brutal days on Our Lord’s body.
At the Last Supper, St. Luke carefully relates the events surrounding the first Mass and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist. In Chapter 22:19, St. Luke writes that Jesus states: “And He took bread and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” This one verse helps explain the nature of the Holy Eucharist as well as the establishment of the sacrament of Holy Orders.
After the first Mass had ended, St. Luke alone among the evangelists tells us that Jesus warns Peter that he will be sifted “like wheat” (Lk 22:31-34) but when Peter has “turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Lk 22:32)
In the Garden of Gethsemane, true to his background as a physician, St. Luke singularly tells us about the Agony in the Garden being so painful to Jesus that He sweats blood during the ordeal. During the trial of Jesus, only St. Luke describes Pilate trying to avoid his responsibility by sending Our Lord to King Herod for judgment.
In the moments before His holy death, St. Luke relates Jesus turning to the Good Thief and telling him that “Truly, I say to you , today you will be with me in Paradise. (Lk 23:43)
The last major detail St. Luke alone writes about is the marvelous walk on the road to Emmaus. As the two completely downcast men are walking to the village of Emmaus, Jesus begins walking with them. When He asks them why they are so sad, they incredulously ask Him if He does not know about the death of Jesus. This is followed by the account of Christ opening their minds to the meaning of the Bible. But even with all this phenomenal instruction, they still do not recognize Him. It is only at the Eucharist, the breaking of the bread, that they realize Jesus himself has been talking to them.
During the final weeks of Lent, read the Last Supper and Passion account of St. Luke. There are a number of important events and ideas relating to Our Lord’s Passion found only in St. Luke. The charity, beauty and striking personality of the third evangelist are also clearly seen in these final chapters of St. Luke’s gospel. I hope you get a chance to read this wonderful gift from the Holy Spirit to Church. Let the marvelous grace of this gospel fill your heart.
