Last Sunday the Christian Church remembered one of its great saints: Saint Luke.

Luke was a doctor and a convert to Christianity. He became a close friend of Saint Paul and accompanied him on his preaching tours. He wrote two books in the Bible: one of the four gospels and the Book of Acts.

In his gospel, which gives us the story of Jesus’s life, death and resurrection, Luke portrays Jesus as a man of compassion. Jesus is on the side of the poor, the weak, the outcasts and the marginalised in society.

Jesus is the man who promotes the role of women. Jesus is the one who gives us the stories of the Good Samaritan, the Lost Sheep, and the Prodigal Son. It is Luke alone who tells us that even when Jesus was in agony on the cross he pleaded for his persecutors with the very moving words: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Jesus is still the same loving, compassionate and forgiving friend and Saviour whom we can always turn to during the ups and downs of life. He is the man for all seasons.

Furthermore, followers of Jesus are called upon to follow his example by showing love and compassion to all we meet on life’s journey, especially the weak, defenceless and vulnerable. So often many of our churches have become talk shops rather than actions stations.

This week’s thought: True compassion means not only feeling another's pain but also being moved to help relieve it.