The Gospel According to Luke

378 Pages·2016·2.89 MB·English

Rev.
 Dolindo
 Ruotolo

The
 Sacred
 Scripture

The
 Gospel
 According
 to
 Luke

Analysis-­‐Comment-­‐Meditation

In 33 Volumes - Vol
 XX/c

11/14/1938-­‐12/9/1939

Translated by Giovanna I. Ellis
Edited by Philip B. Ellis
Reviewed by Clarke N. Ellis
From:
Ristampa in lingua Italiana
Apostolato Stampa, Napoli
Tipografia Laurenziana 1996

© Translation Copyright 2014 by Giovanna Ellis.
All rights reserved.

Imprimatur (Original manuscript):
+Vittorio Maria Costantini
S. Theologiae Magister,
Bishop of Sessa Aurunca
December 8, 1978

Nihil Obstat (Translation):
Rev. Christopher Begg, S.T.D., Ph.D.
Censor Deputatus
December 15, 2014

Imprimatur (Translation):
+Most Rev. Barry C. Knestout
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, D.C.
Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
December 15, 2014

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Biblical Quotations herein are taken from:
The Holy Bible Catholic Public Domain Version1
Other quotations herein are used under the “fair use”
terms as defined in section 107 through 118 of US
copyright law (17 U.S. Code).

Disclosure

1 online edition: http//www.sacredbible.org
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Don Dolindo Ruotolo

Rev. Dolindo Ruotolo was born, in Naples, Italy on October 6, 1882. Ordained at the
young age of 23 on June 24, 1905, he dedicated every moment of his long life to prayer
and penance at the service of the thousands of faithful who asked for his spiritual direction
and turned to him for help and comfort.

Paralyzed for the last ten years of his life, Don Dolindo Ruotolo died in Naples on
November 19, 1970, in the extreme voluntary poverty he had lived all his life.

His body lies in the Church where he served as Pastor, Our Lady of Lourdes and St.
Joseph of the Aged, Via Salvatore Tommasi, Naples, Italy. Today, more than before,
people knock at his tomb, confident of his intercession and receiving many graces through
his intercession.

Rev. Dolindo Ruotolo wrote a large number of books in his native Italian of high theology
that were highly inspired. Today, his books are sold in Naples, Italy and only in Italian. In
particular, Rev. Ruotolo wrote an analysis, commentary and meditation on the entire Bible
in 33 volumes which has continually been highly acclaimed by Cardinals and Bishops.
This volume is the first-ever English language translation of the volume on St. Luke’s
Gospel of that series.

In the United States, among many others, he is known by the Crosiers Priests, in particular
Fr. Raymond Steffes OSC in Minnesota and Fr. Christopher Rengers, OFM in
Pennsylvania, and Prof. Scott Hahn in Steubenville OH, who wrote a comment on one of
Don Dolindo’s books “Come Holy Spirit”.

Currently a Servant of God, this holy priest’s Cause for Beatification is underway.

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Contents
Pages 6-11
Introduction p 12-17
The Kingdom of Christ - The Gospel of Mercy - To whom the book is dedicated. When it
was written. - The Gospel of Mary.

Chapter 1 p 18-53
The conception of John the Baptist, and of Christ. The visitation and canticle of the
Blessed Virgin. The birth of the Baptist.
The Prologue. - May our life be a living Gospel. - Gabriel announces the miraculous
conception of John the Baptist. - Zechariah becomes mute. - In an unbeliever the spirit
becomes dumb and prayer is silenced. - Elizabeth becomes pregnant. - How to fight
spiritual sterility. - The annunciation of the Angel to Mary. Humility. - The holy young
Virgin of Nazareth. - Saint Joseph. - The prayer of Mary - And behold an Angel of
appeared. - Faith and reason. - Mary believed: “Here is the handmaid of the Lord” - And
the Word became Flesh. - The Heart of Mary, tabernacle of the Everlasting. - Mary meets
with St. Elizabeth. - The greeting of Mary. - The greeting of St. Elizabeth. - The sublime
canticle of Mary. - The Flower of the Old Covenant - The Magnificat. - The Jewish
people. - Mary announces the Savior. - The fertile Gem of the New Covenant - Synthesis
and Program of the Church. - The Church wants to save, must save. - An example from
history. - The canticle of the loving soul. - The Magnificat of humility. - A shining picture
of the life of the Redeemer and of Mary. - A perpetual voice in the Kingdom of God. -
Dazzling light in the darkness of exile. - The birth of John the Baptist. - His name is John.
- The canticle of Zechariah. - John the Baptist withdraws in the desert.

Chapter 2 p 54 -78
The Birth of Jesus. Circumcision and Presentation in the Temple. Jesus among the
doctors.
The solemn and peaceful moment of the birth of Jesus. - The Birth of Jesus. - The
announcement to the shepherds and their visit. - An Angel appeared to the shepherds. The
shepherds adore Jesus. - The way God operates. - The circumcision. - The Presentation in
the Temple. - The holy old Simeon. - Exultation of Anna, a holy woman of the Temple. -
The infancy of Jesus, The losing Jesus and his hidden life. - Jesus lost and then found in
the Temple. - For our spiritual life.

Chapter 3 p 79-86
Mission, preaching and imprisonment of St. John the Baptist. Baptism and genealogy of
Jesus.
The political status of Palestine at the time of John the Baptist. - The preaching of St. John
the Baptist. - The insignificance of human greatness. The true greatness that is humility. -
John bears witness to Jesus. - The witness of the Father and the Holy Spirit. - Genealogy
of Jesus and the ascending genealogy of the soul.

Chapter 4 p 87-102
Fasting and temptation of Jesus. Preaching in Galilee and in Nazareth. Healing of a
possessed person. Healing of the mother-in-law of St. Peter and other sick people.
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The mystery of the temptations of Jesus in the desert. - The fasting of Jesus. - The first
temptation. - Man does not live of bread alone - but of every word of God. - The second
and third temptations of Satan. - The diabolical psychology of temptation. - The human
ambition. - The diabolical psychology of temptation. - The human ambition. - Satan and
the powerful of the world. - Ambition also tempts in spiritual matters - Jesus preaching in
Galilee. - The ungrateful people of Nazareth. - This is the way men are! - Jesus at
Capernaum. - The possessed - The mother in law of St. Peter. - Some people drive Jesus
away and some welcome Him.

Chapter 5 p103-120
The miraculous catch of fish. The healing of the leper. Jesus prays. The healing of a
paralytic. The vocation of Levi. The fast.
The boat of Peter and the teaching of the Church. - The miraculous catch. - After the night
of apostasy, the boat of Peter will be full of a miraculous catch. - The healing of the leper.
- The leprosy of sin. - Two boats were at sea. - Jesus withdraws to solitary places to pray.
- Jesus praying: the eternal lamp before the Father. - The Eucharist, the great school of our
prayer. - The healing of the paralytic and the remission of sins. - The forgiveness of sins. -
Jesus forgives sins, therefore He is God. - The joy of feeling free from sin. - The vocation
of Levi, the issue of fasting and the prudent consideration of the ways of the spirit. - The
Pharisees are scandalized. - The answer of Jesus to the Pharisees. - For those who guide
the direction of souls - In the ways of the Lord, the holy newness.

Chapter 6 p 121-134
The ears of wheat and the Sabbath. The withered hand. Election of the Apostles. The
Beatitudes and the woes. Love for one’s enemies. Warning to the Pharisees and Christian
charity.
The ears of wheat and the Sabbath. - The withered hand. - Election of the Apostles. - The
Beatitudes and the woes. - Love for one’s enemies. - Warning to the Pharisees and
Christian charity. - Divine dominion over times and mankind. - Jesus heals the man with a
withered hand. The persecutors of the Church. - The election of the Apostles and the
profile of the Church through the centuries. - The election of Judas Iscariot. - The elected
Apostles. - For the Apostles and for those who spread the kingdom of God. - The kingdom
of God can only be established in charity.

Chapter 7 p 135-147
The servant of the centurion. The son of the widow of Naim. John the Baptist’s question
to Jesus. Jesus praises John the Baptist. The sinner at the feet of Jesus.
The servant of the centurion. - The faith of the centurion, model of our faith. - The widow
of Naim’s son. - The young who are dead to grace - The disciples of St. John the Baptist
go to Jesus to ask questions on behalf of their teacher. - Jesus praises John the Baptist. -
The never satisfied. - The irritable. - The repentant sinner at the foot of Jesus. - We the
sinners and the mercy of God.

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Chapter 8 p 148 - 166
Jesus and the Galilean holy women. The parable of the sower. The Mother and the
relatives of Jesus. The calming of the storm. The possessed man of Gerasenes. The
daughter of Jairus and the woman with a hemorrhage.
The woman collaborator of the Kingdom of God. - Psychology of the woman. - The
woman in the apostolate. - The Pious Women followers of Jesus. - The woman and her
mission in the Church. - The Divine Sower. - The Word of God, seed of life. - The
journey of the Word of God in the centuries. - The reason of the parables. - The mother of
Jesus and his relatives. - Mary became Mother of God because she welcomed the Divine
Word. - The storm on the lake. - The Church and the good souls in the storms. - The value
of the contradictions. - The victory belongs to God. - The possessed man of Gerasenes and
the loathsome legions who move among souls dead to grace. - The diabolic obsession -
The daughter of Jairus and the woman who had an issue of blood. - The mystery of
immolation and providence.

Chapter 9 p 167-194
Mission of the Apostles. Herod the Tetrarch and Jesus. First multiplication of the loaves.
Confession of St. Peter. Christian abnegation. The Transfiguration. Healing of a
possessed epileptic. Prediction of the Passion. The true greatness. Jesus refused by the
Samaritans. Requirements to follow Jesus.
Mission of the Apostles. - Herod the Tetrarch and Jesus. - First multiplication of the
loaves.- Confession of St. Peter. Christian abnegation. - The Transfiguration. - Healing of
a possessed epileptic. - Prediction of the Passion. - The true greatness. - Jesus refused by
the Samaritans. -Requirements to follow Jesus. - Mission of the Apostles and those of the
Priests - A simple life, without excessive comforts - Poverty, simplicity and trust in God.
- Tell everything to Jesus, visiting Him in the Sacrament - The first multiplication of
loaves. The living “Bread from Heaven”. - You are the Christ of God: The solemn
confession of St. Peter. - Why Jesus prohibits the Apostles to reveal his divine identity. -
Let us not grumble at God - To us God asks: and you, who do you say that I am. Ask me
again, my God: And you, who do you say that I am? - The way that leads to God:
Christian self-denial. - Jesus says: Who wants to save his life, will lose it. - Against
human respect. - The transfiguration of Jesus Christ. - Transfiguring ourselves in Christ
Jesus! - The healing of the possessed epileptic. - Our generation, faithless, perverse and
spiritually epileptic. - Announcement of the Passion. - The least among you is the greatest.
- The apostolate is not a monopoly! Jesus travels toward Jerusalem - The Samaritans
refuse to offer Jesus hospitality. - Jesus does not want to force us to come to Him. - The
religious vocation.

Chapter 10 p 195 -210
The mission of the 72 disciples. Parable of the Good Samaritan. Martha and Mary.
The mission of the 72 disciples. Parable of the Good Samaritan. Martha and Mary. -
Jesus instructs the seventy-two disciples. - As sheep among wolves. - For the
missionaries, poverty, simplicity, trust in Providence - Pilgrims of God in the apostolate
- How to behave with those who reject the Word of Truth. - The disciples return from
their mission. - Jesus rejoices because the Lord reveals himself to little ones. - The
ideologies of the world. - To love God and one’s neighbor: the great way of salvation
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and peace. - The parable of the Samaritan. - Porro unum est necessarium. Only one
thing is necessary! - The true values of life.

Chapter 11 p 211 -230
The Our Father and the persevering faith in prayer. - The possessed mute and the evil
spirits. - The sign of Jonah. - Reproaches to the Pharisees.
The prayer taught us by Jesus, admirable directive of all our prayers The Our Father. -
Conditions for receiving an answer: perseverance in praying and full abandonment to the
mercy of God. - When it seems to us that our prayers are not heard.- Liberation of the
possessed mute. The blind, the deaf and the mutes of Satan. - Beelzebub and his kingdom.
- Blessed are they who listen to the Word of God. - The sign that Jesus would give to His
mission. - The pure eye understands the way of the Lord. - Today mankind is blind and
lacks the light of God. - Jesus reproaches the Scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus reproaches
also us.

Chapter 12 p 231-242
The hypocrisy of the Pharisees. - The sin against the Holy Spirit. - Greed and the self-
assured rich man. - Confidence in God. - Jesus came to bring fire and war.
Reconciliation.
The hypocrisy of the Pharisees - Do not be afraid to confess the faith.-The sin against the
Holy Spirit. - The martyrs, heroes of the Church. - Not worrying about worldly
possessions and living trusting in God is the strong foundation of a Christian character. -
The parable of Jesus - Everything is precarious in life except to trust in God - The strong
foundation of a Christian character: to think of ourselves as travelers on this earth, as
servants waiting for their master and being stewards of his possessions.- The Priest and his
mission. True love and heroic sacrifices in true charity and forgiveness.- The various
epochs of the Church.

Chapter 13 p 243 - 251
The need for penance.- The barren fig tree.- Healing of a crippled woman. -The mustard
seed and the yeast.- The number of the saved.- Hostility of Herod. - Punishment of
Jerusalem.
Without repentance we go to perdition. -When God calls we must answer if we do not
want to be cut off from life as a barren fig tree.- The public calamities. -The parable of the
fruitless fig tree. -The story of Israel as the story of many nations and individuals. -
Healing of a woman who could not look up and a rebuke to the Pharisees who always
looked down. -The kingdom of God. - We have to strive to get to heaven, regardless of the
pitfalls of evil. - Evil cannot ruin the plan of God.

Chapter 14 p 252 -259
The healing of the man with dropsy on the Sabbath. -Do not seek the first place.- Practice
of charity.- Parable of the banquet.- How to follow Jesus.
The healing of a man suffering from dropsy and about charity. -The first places at the
table The etiquette, a basic virtue. The banquets and the parties. - The great meal prepared
by God for His people in their Redemption, and the way to acquire Redemption. - God’s
invitations. - The careful and serious response to the invitation of God.
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Chapter 15 p 260 - 269

The lost sheep. -The lost coin.- The prodigal son.
The infinite mercy of God in searching for sinners and welcoming them, in an overview of
the parables of Jesus.- The three parables of the mercy of God: the lost sheep. -The lost
coin that was found - The prodigal son.

Chapter 16 p 270 279
The dishonest steward. - The hypocrisy of the Pharisees. - Indissoluble marriage. - The
parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
The dishonest steward and the necessity of using wealth in a good way for eternal life -
The parable of the dishonest steward - We are all “stewards” of our Celestial Father -
The false righteousness of the Pharisees and the deep divergence between what is human
and what is divine. - Today goodness is despised and evil is exalted. - The Parable of the
rich man. - Illusions and realities of life.

Chapter 17 p 280 - 289
Things that cause sin. - Correcting one’s brother. - The power of faith. - Our duty. The
ten lepers. The kingdom of God and the return of the Son of Man.
There are things that cause sin, but woe to those who enable them! - Scandal and
occasions of sin, today. - The power of faith and the duty to serve God. - The useless
servants - The healing of the lepers - The leprosy of sin - The gratitude of men - We, the
ungrateful - The Kingdom of God and its fulfillment - Upheavals, revolutions and death -
The Kingdom of God will not be a political triumph.

Chapter 18 p 290 - 299
The unjust judge. -The Pharisee and the publican. - Jesus and children.- The rich young
man. - Reward to the followers of Jesus. - Prophecy of the Passion. - The blind man of
Jericho.
Persistent and humble prayer.- The simplicity of children. - Are we near the times
predicted by Jesus? - The Pharisee and the Publican. - The children and the Kingdom of
God. - The true ideal of youth.- The heroism of renunciation. - The light of Golgotha. -
The “Age” of the Youth - Jesus said: Why do you call me good? - How Francis of Assisi
answered Jesus. - Jesus predicts His Passion to the Apostles - The blind man of Jericho -
Unhappiness and adversity are the cries of blind humanity.

Chapter 19 p 300 - 307
Zacchaeus. - The parable of the ten gold coins. - Triumphal entry of Jesus into
Jerusalem.- The cleansing of the Temple.
Zacchaeus. - Oppressed by the world, we are powerless to see heavenly things - The
parable of the coins and the manifestation of the Kingdom of God. - The entry of Jesus
into Jerusalem, and the expulsion of the moneylenders from the temple.- Jesus weeps
over Jerusalem.- Jerusalem as the nations of today.

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Chapter 20 p 308 - 319
The authority of Jesus questioned. - The parable of the tenant farmers.- Paying the tax to
Caesar. - The Sadducees and the resurrection. -The Messiah son of David. -The hypocrisy
of the scribes.
Confusion of humanly constituted authority before the divine authority of Jesus - The
parable of the tenant farmers - And us? - Painful statistics. - The tribute to Caesar - The
aberrations of state-worshippers - The resurrection and the eternal life. -Christ, the son of
David.- But do we believe in eternal life?

Chapter 21 p 320 - 329
The poor widow’s contribution. -The foretelling of the destruction of the Temple. -
Persecution that the Church will have to bear until the end of the world. -The Ruin of
Jerusalem. - Signs of the second coming of the Redeemer. - Be vigilant and pray.
The poor widow’s contribution at the temple. - What we offer to God.- The ruin of
Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God on earth and the end of the world. - Are we in the
historical period foretold by Jesus? - The end of Jerusalem - The end of the world - What
this means for us who await the great tribulation, the Kingdom of God and the Universal
Judgment.

Chapter 22 p 330 - 349
Conspiracy of the Sanhedrin and betrayal of Judas. The last supper and the Institution of
the Eucharist. The traitor revealed. The last admonitions of Jesus. At Gethsemane.
Betrayal and arrest of Jesus. Denial of Peter. Jesus mocked before the Sanhedrin.
The betrayal of Judas and the psychology of his betrayal. - The act of Judas is repeated
everyday. - Preparation for the Passover supper and Institution of the Eucharist - Jesus
proclaims His betrayal and Peter’s denial - The infallibility of the Pope - The Church in
her fights -The Adoration on the Mount of Olives and the capture of Jesus. - Jesus Christ
is captured - Peter denies Jesus - How many times do we also betray and deny Jesus! -
Jesus is mocked and condemned by the Sanhedrin.

Chapter 23 p 350 - 363
Jesus before Pilate and Herod. Jesus and Barabbas. The Sentence of Death and the Way
of the Cross. The Crucifixion. The Agony and Death of Jesus. The Burial.
The trial of Jesus before Pilate and before Herod. - Jesus before Herod -For souls who
constantly seek thrills. - Jesus is sentenced to death in place of Barabbas -Pilate, in the
centuries - The way of the cross and the weeping women of Jerusalem. - The Way of the
Cross in our life. -The crucifixion, agony, death and burial of Jesus. - The good thief -
Jesus dies on the Cross. - The burial.

Chapter 24 p 364 - 379
The Resurrection of Jesus. The disciples of Emmaus. Jesus appears to the Apostles. The
last instructions He gives to them. The Ascension into Heaven.
The conqueror of death. -The holy women go to the tomb-They were not believed-The
tender and wonderful story of the disciples of Emmaus.-Charity attracts Jesus to us. Jesus
hidden in the Eucharist - Jesus appears to all the Apostles. Last instructions. Ascension
into Heaven. Conclusion Luke contemplates the merciful love of God. Come, Lord Jesus!
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