St Luke is believed to have been a physician and a companion of St Paul as well as the author of the Acts of the Apostles. His Gospel is particularly known for the attention he gives to the birth of Jesus and his early life. From these stories the Church takes the great liturgical prayers of the Magnificat and the Benedictus.

This special edition of the Gospel of Luke, with an introduction by Fr John Hemer MHM, is published to mark the introduction of the ESV-CE translation in new the Catholic lectionary for England, Scotland and Wales. This book allows the reader to read and contemplate the words of the Gospel precisely as it is proclaimed at Mass in Year C of the lectionary cycle.