Antiphons at Lauds - Psalms of Sunday of the 1st week

1. The evangelist saints sought the wisdom of their ancient elders, and fulfilled their narrations with the words of the prophets.

2. God has called us to believe the truth through the Gospel, so that we might participate in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

3. A gathering of peoples will praise their wisdom, and their name shall never be erased.

1 Cor 15, 1-4

Brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand. By which also you are saved. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, namely, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Greek Jews: but they went about to slay him. Of which, when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him forth to Tarsus.

Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, were multiplied.

Now those who were scattered abroad because of the persecution which arose because of Stephen, travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to none other than to the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spoke to the Greek Jews, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

Then tidings of these things came to the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem, and so they sent out Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. When Barnabas came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave to the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And many people were in union with the Lord. Then Barnabas departed to Tarsus, seeking Saul. When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the Church, and taught many people. And the disciples were called ‘Christians’ for the first time in Antioch.

Acoording to Eusebius St Luke was born at Antioch, the capital of the kings of Syria. St. Paul tells us that Luke, originally a pagan, exercised the profession of a physician. He accompanied the apostle of the nations in his travels and being with him and the other apostles most of the time, he was enabled to write the third gospel which St. Jerome and St. John Chrysostom describe as "the gospel of St Paul".

Like the Doctor of the Gentiles, he addressed himself to pagans to show them that salvation is brought by Jesus to all men who believe in Him without exception. He is symbolically represented as an ox, one of the four animals in the vision of Ezechiel, because at the beginning of his Gospel he mentions the priesthood of Zacharias, and because the ox was usually the victim in the sacrifices of the Old I.aw.

Like St Mark, Luke was not an apostle but only a disciple of our Lord who, like the 72, received instructions given by the Saviour. St Jerome relates that St. Luke died in Achaia aged 84 about the year 83.

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