Luke is the author of one of the most beautiful books of the New Testament and indeed of the whole Bible. It is from him that we get the lovely account of the Infancy of Jesus, including the Annunciation and the story of Jesus' birth in the cave at Bethlehem. It is a gospel which has some of the most beautiful stories such as the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. There is an atmosphere of joy pervading the gospel and great emphasis on caring for and identifying with the poor and needy. It is a gospel which speaks often of the Holy Spirit and, more than any other gospel, shows Jesus in prayer before all the important moments of his public life. The Gospel reading for today is a manifesto given by Jesus to the 72 disciples as he sent them out to continue the work he himself was doing. They are to be on the lookout for people to work with them in bringing in the harvest of believers. They are to live lives of great material simplicity and be ready to expect opposition to their message. They are to bring healing to the sick and peace to everyone. They are to open people's eyes and help them see that the Kingdom of God is all around them. We thank Luke for bringing Jesus' message to us in such a beautiful way and let us pray that we, too, in our own way can be effective messengers of the Gospel.