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St. Luke | Evangelist | pre-1955 Missal | Traditional Latin Mass Readings | 10/18/2026 · Vox Liturgica

• 0:00
  Vox Liturgica: The Propers of the Day according to the Roman Missal before 1955. The Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist, October 18 in the year of our Lord 2026. Of the Evangelist Dom Gaspar Lefevre writes, Saint Luke originally a pagan was born according to Eusebius at Antioch, capital of the kings of Syria. Saint Paul tells us that he exercised the profession of a physician. He accompanied the apostle of the nations in his travels and was with him during most of his missions.
• 0:51
  And when he was twice a prisoner in Rome, owing to his connection with this master and the other apostles he was enabled to write the third gospel which Saint Jerome and Saint John Chrysostom describe as the gospel of Saint Paul. Like the doctor of the Gentiles, he addresses the pagans to show them that salvation is brought by Jesus to all men without exception who believe in him. He is symbolically represented by an ox one of the four animals in the vision of Ezekiel 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 law. The mass of Saint Luke like that of Saint Mark offers this particular that its gospel refers to the instructions given by the savior to his 72 disciples. Both these evangelists not having been apostles but only disciples of our Lord.
• 2:12
  Saint Jerome relates that Saint Luke died in Achaia at the age of 84. Commemorated today is the twenty first Sunday after Pentecost. The church is nearing the end of the cycle, which reminds us of that last hour of the world when the devil will exert with more violence his power over men. For soon, he will be deprived of it. With the relentlessness he showed Job by stripping him of his possessions and striking him down by bodily sufferings, he will then persecute especially the just.
• 3:04
  Therefore, the apostle describes for the Christian the armor he must put on to enable him to withstand in those woeful times the powers of hell. He gives him a girdle, a curis, a shield, a helmet, and a sword. So that strengthened in the Lord, whose will nothing can resist, he may be protected against those who persecute him. Thus preserved from all adversity by the effect of the unceasing goodness of the Lord, the family of God, which is the Church, will be enabled to glorify his name by good works. Therefore the gospel speaks to us of the charity towards our neighbor which is the abridgment of the whole morality of Christianity.
• 4:06
  If God has been good towards us, we must be the same towards our brethren. Or how shall we escape the proceedings of the powerful creditor whose debtor the whole world is and to whom all will have to render account. If we pardon our neighbor from the bottom of our hearts, the master will remit our debts. Otherwise he would deliver us to the executors of his justice until we have paid all we owe him. Let us ask God to deliver us in his goodness from the assaults of the devil and to help us to imitate the divine mercy a grace we pray for in the Collect.
• 5:01
  Commemorated today is World Mission Sunday. Pope Pius XI in 1926 at the request of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith instituted World Missions Sunday on the penultimate Sunday of October. In masses on this day, commemorations are made from the mass for the propagation of the faith. In 1926, Pius XI also wrote an encyclical on Catholic missions. In it, the Holy Father says the following about the importance of evangelization.
• 5:44
  The church has no other reason for existence than by developing the kingdom of Christ on earth to make mankind participate in the effects of his saving redemption. Whoever by divine commission takes the place on earth of Jesus Christ becomes thereby the chief shepherd who far from being able to rest content with simply guiding and protecting the Lord's flock, which has been confided to him to rule fails in his special duty and obligations if he does not strive by might and main to win over and to join to Christ all who are still outside the fold. When we ponder over the fact that the pagans number even in our day, almost a billion, we have no rest in our spirit and seem to hear sounding in our ears the words, cry, cease not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet. There is no need to insist how foreign it is to the virtue of charity, which embraces both God and men for the members of Christ's Church not to think of those unfortunate souls who live in error outside the fold. Surely the obligation of charity which binds us to God demands not only that we strive to increase by every means within our power the number of those who adore him in spirit and in truth, but also that we try to bring under the rule of the gentle Christ as many other men as possible.
• 7:53
  That men should be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. Can we give a mark of greater love for our neighbors than to assist them in putting behind themselves the darkness of error by instructing them in the true faith of Christ. As a matter of fact, this type of charity surpasses all other kinds of good works inspired by love. We read that Christ commanded not only Peter but all the apostles, go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. It evidently follows from this that the responsibility for spreading the faith falls upon us.
• 8:56
  God himself shall one day ask of us a strict accounting of this tremendous obligation which he has laid upon us. Strive to have introduced and gradually to extend the pious custom of praying the Lord of the harvest that he send forth laborers into his harvest and of asking for the heathen the light of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God. Everyone can pray. Of this fact there can be no question. Everyone therefore has at hand and can make use of this all important help, this daily nourishment of the missions.
• 9:49
  For these reasons you will act according to our desires and will also do something in keeping with the religious spirit and feelings of the faithful. If you order that special prayers for the missions and for the conversion of the heathen to the truth faith be added, for example, to the rosary of the blessed virgin or to the other prayers which are customarily recited both in the parish and other churches. It would be well, venerable brothers, to make a special point of inviting and encouraging children in the religious orders of women to take up this holy practice. We are particularly desirous that in all institutions, orphanages, parochial schools, colleges, and convents of sisters, there should daily arise to heaven, the prayer that the divine mercy may descend upon so many unhappy beings, inhabitants of the densely populated pagan countries. Can the heavenly father refuse anything to the innocent and chaste who ask it of him?
• 11:13
  On the other hand, such a pious practice leads to the hope that these children who have been trained to pray for the conversion of the heathen from the first moment when the flower of charity begins to bud in their young and tender hearts may with the help of God themselves receive a vocation for the apostolate. A vocation which if it is nurtured with care may perhaps in time supply capable workers for the mission field. Since the words of Christ are true, the harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few Even in the present condition of affairs, Europe from whence most of the missionaries have come is itself in need of priests. And this is at a time when with the help of God it is most important that our separated brethren be led back to the unity of the church and that non Catholics be convinced of and delivered from their errors. It is a well known fact that today the number of young men called to the priestly and religious life is not less than in former times.
• 12:51
  Still, the number of those who obey the call of God is certainly much smaller. It but remains for us now to exhort you again, Venerable brothers, all the Bishops of the Catholic world, to share with us the cares and consolations of our pastoral office, and to come to the aid of the Missions, in order that the Missions themselves, quickened as it were by this renewed strength, may bring forth a more abundant harvest in the future. May Mary, the most holy Queen of Apostles, graciously look down with favor upon this our common undertaking. That self same Mary who, since she keeps within her motherly heart, all men committed to her protection on Calvary, cherishes and loves not only those whose fortune it is to enjoy the fruits of the redemption, but all those others likewise, who do not yet know that they have been redeemed by Jesus Christ. Pope Pius XI, Saint Peter's, Rome, February 28, in the year of our Lord, 1926.
• 14:34
  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. The introit. Great reverence have I for thy friends, O God. Sovereign power is theirs in abundance.
• 14:53
  O Lord, I lie open to thy scrutiny. Thou knowest me, knowest when I sit down, and when I rise up. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be, through all ages of ages. Amen. Great reverence have I for thy friends, O God, sovereign power is theirs in abundance.
• 15:30
  The Collect, let us pray. O Lord, we pray thee, let thy holy Evangelist, Luke, who for the honor of thy name continually bore in his own body the suffering of the cross, make intercession for us through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. A prayer for the propagation of the faith. O God, who willest that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, send, we beseech thee, labourers to thy harvest, and give them to speak thy word with all confidence, that thy message may run, and may be made plain, and that all peoples may know thee, the only true God, and him whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
• 16:44
  A commemoration of the twenty first Sunday after Pentecost. O Lord, keep thy household with ever watchful care, we pray thee, so that under thy protection it may be freed from all adversity, and zealous in well doing, to the glory of thy name. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, through all ages of ages. Amen. Lesson from the second letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians.
• 17:33
  Brethren, I thank God for inspiring the heart of Titus, your representative, with the same eagerness. He has accepted our invitation, but indeed of his own choice he was eager to visit you. And we are sending with him that brother of ours who has won the praise of all the churches by his proclamation of the gospel. He too is the man whom the churches have appointed to be our companion in this gracious ministry of ours to further God's glory and our own resolve. They were anxious that no suspicion should be aroused against us with these great sums to handle.
• 18:26
  It is not only in the Lord's sight, but in the sight of men, that we have to study our behavior. And to accompany these we are sending a brother of whose eagerness we have had good proof in many ways and upon many occasions. Now he is more eager than ever Such is the confidence he feels in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and has shared my work among you. As for these brethren of ours, they are the envoys of the churches, the glory of Christ.
• 19:13
  Give them proof then of your charity and of the good reason we have to be proud of you for all the churches to see. The gradual. Their utterance fills every land till their message reaches the end of the world. See how the skies proclaim God's glory, how the vault of heaven betrays his craftsmanship. Alleluia.
• 19:50
  Alleluia. I have chosen you from the world to go out and bear fruit, fruit which will endure. Alleluia. A continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Luke. At that time Jesus appointed 72 others and sent them before him two and two into all the cities and villages he himself was to visit.
• 20:26
  The harvest, he told them, is plentiful enough, but the laborers are few. You must ask the Lord to whom the harvest belongs to send laborers out for the harvesting. Go then and remember I am sending you out to be like lambs among wolves. You are not to carry purse or wallet or shoes. You are to give no one greeting on your way.
• 21:00
  When you enter a house, say first of all, Peace be to this house and if those who dwell there are men of good will, your good wishes shall come down upon it. If not, they will come back to you the way they went. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they have to give you. The laborer has a right to his maintenance. Do not move from one house to another.
• 21:35
  When you enter a city, and they make you welcome, be content to eat the fare they offer you, and heal those who are sick there, and tell them, the kingdom of God is close upon you. The offertory. Great reverence have I for thy friends, O God. Sovereign power is theirs in abundance. The secret.
• 22:12
  We pray thee, O Lord, enable us by gifts of heavenly grace to serve thee in freedom of spirit and at the intercession of thy blessed Evangelist, Luke, let the offerings we bring thee accomplish in us their healing work, and lead us to eternal glory through Christ our Lord. Amen. A prayer for the propagation of the faith. O God our protector, cast thine eyes upon the face of thy Christ, who gave himself up for the ransom of us all. Grant that from east to west thy name may be exalted among the Gentiles, and that in every place an unblemished offering may be sacrificed and offered to thy name.
• 23:16
  A commemoration of the twenty first Sunday after Pentecost, In thy readiness to forgive, O Lord, accept this sacrifice, for it is thy will that through it thyself art appeased, and we restored and saved through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God through all ages of ages. Amen. The Preface of Apostles. Just it is indeed and fitting right and for our salvation to entreat thee humbly, O Lord, that thou wouldst not desert thy flock, O everlasting shepherd, but through thy blessed apostles wouldst keep it under thy constant protection, that it may be governed by those same rulers whom, as vicars of thy work, thou didst set over it to be its pastors. And therefore with angels and archangels, with thrones and dominions, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing the hymn of thy glory, saying without ceasing.
• 24:46
  Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, the heavens and the earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. The communion.
• 25:11
  You who have followed me shall sit on thrones, and shall be judges over the 12 tribes of Israel. The post communion. Let us pray. Grant we pray thee Almighty God that through the prayers of thy blessed Evangelist Luke the gift we have received from thy holy altar may sanctify our souls and thereby keep us in safety through Christ our Lord. Amen.
• 25:52
  A prayer for the propagation of the faith. Strengthened by the gift of our redemption we beseech thee, O Lord, that by this aid of everlasting salvation our faith may ever increase. A commemoration of the twenty first Sunday after Pentecost. We have been seeking the food of immortality, O Lord, and implore thee that with its savour still on our tongues we may with pure hearts continue to pursue it through our Lord Jesus Christ, Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God through all ages of ages. Amen.
• 26:53
  The Last Gospel, a continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew. At that time Jesus said to his disciples, here is an image of the kingdom of heaven. There was a king who had resolved to enter into a reckoning with his servants and had scarcely begun the reckoning when one was brought before him who was 10,000 talents in his debt. He had no means of making payment whereupon his master gave orders that he should be sold with his wife and children, and all that he had, and so the debt should be paid. With that the servant fell at his feet and said, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee in full.
• 27:56
  And his master, moved with pity for him, let the servant go, and discharged him of his debt. So the servant went out, and met with a fellow servant of his, who owed him a 100 pieces of silver, whereupon he caught hold of him, and took him by the throat, and said, Pay me all thou owest me. His fellow servant went down on his knees in entreaty. Have patience with me, he said, and I will pay thee in full. But the other refused.
• 28:44
  He went away and committed him to prison for such time as the debt was unpaid. The rest of the servants were full of indignation when they saw this done and went in to tell their master what had happened. And so he was summoned by his master who said to him, I remitted all that debt of thine, thou wicked servant, at thy entreaty. Was it not thy duty to have pity on thy fellow servant as I had pity on thee? And his master, in anger, gave him over to be tortured until the debt was paid.
• 29:32
  It is thus that my heavenly father will deal with you if brother does not forgive brother with all his heart. In the name of the father and of the son and of the holy ghost. Amen. Thanks be to God. Saint Luke the Evangelist, pray for us.