I read somewhere that today is St. Luke’s Little Summer. My extensive research turned up that the summer-like days that occur around October 18 are often called Saint Luke’s Little Summer. Actually, October 18 is Saint Luke’s feast day. It isn’t clear to me exactly why today is referred to as St. Luke’s Little Summer.
But my research did discover that St. Luke is kind of special. He was the only Gentile to write books of the Bible, and he was a close companion of St. Paul. He is also the first Christian physician on record. Luke uses more medical terms than any other New Testament writer. For example, he does;t just say Publius’ father was sick — he tells us he suffered from fever and dysentery.
Tradition tells us that St. Luke was the son of pagan parents, possibly born a slave, and was one of the earliest converts. Legend has it that he was also a painter who may have done portraits of Jesus and His Mother. St Luke traveled with St. Paul and evangelized Greece and Rome with him. St. Luke wrote the Gospel According to Luke, much of which was based on the teachings and writings of St. Paul and his own experiences. He also wrote a history of the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles. He was a martyr.
St. Luke is the patron saint of artists, bachelors, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, doctors, glass makers, goldsmiths, lacemakers, notaries, painters, physicians, sculptors, stained glass workers, surgeons, and unmarried men.
But even though today is St. Luke’s Little Summer, I couldn’t find any indication of his association with weathermen, or the weather….
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