In this gospel passage, Jesus defines what the mission of the Christ (Messiah) and subsequently of Christian disciples will be. Contrary to popular expectations, Jesus the Messiah will not be the conquering hero who will fix everything that has gone wrong in the world because of human deceit and violence. Certainly Jesus recognizes human suffering, and responds to it with compassion. He provides food for the hungry, he cures the sick, he drives out demons. However, his mission as Messiah is to address the human dilemma on a deeper level. He will address the inauthentic human condition that is the source of the world’s injustice and suffering. Jesus will do so as the Son of Man.
To understand what Jesus means by identifying himself as the Son of Man (the Son of Adam or the Human) we have to see it in the context of the entire biblical narrative about the reality of the human condition. In the beginning God creates humans in his image: children of God, not part of God, but like God. Sadly, we do not get a chance to see what authentic human existence looks like. What we do see is inauthentic human existence soon after the beginning. The first humans reject their truth as creatures. Their children continue to kill and to deceive each other until the human is barely recognizable as being and acting like God. “In the eyes of God the earth was corrupt and full of lawlessness” (Gn 6:11).

Luke’s gospel is notable for its portrayal of Jesus as one who represents the compassion and forgiveness of God. No doubt this sensitivity of Luke for the generous nature of Jesus came from his own experience as a native of the city of Antioch where he noted the extremes of wealth and poverty and where he noted also that the rich tended to be self-righteous and judgmental and therefore to assume that the poor were sinful just because they were poor.
In this gospel story, Luke draws a sharp contrast between the smug and self-righteous Pharisee who keeps all the rules but does not have the sensitivity to perform the basic acts of kindness toward a guest and the woman who has a reputation for sinfulness but who receives Jesus with loving service.
Jesus makes his point by telling a story about two debtors who owed very different amounts but who were both forgiven. The one who was forgiven more was more likely to be more grateful and loving also, We all need to be forgiven at one time or another, and God is more than ready to forgive us also, but the consequence should be loving gratitude and better behavior in the future and especially more ready to forgive others.

As Jesus was about to enter a city called Nain, a man who had died was being carried out through a city gate. He was the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Jesus, moved with compassion, touched the coffin, and said, “Young man, I tell you arise.” When the young man came back to life, Jesus gave him to his mother. All who witnessed the event glorified God, and exclaimed, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.”
This brief gospel story is a literary gem with strong visual images, yet expressing the great universal truths which give unity to the entire biblical tradition of faith. (1) God visits his people from the first moment of their creation. Amazingly, God wants to be with us. (2) More good news is that God understands our fragile human condition, and responds with compassion. (3) God’s presence is personal and respectful of human freedom. The human response which God hopes for is a free decision of faith – the hospitality of welcome and gratitude for the divine visit. (4) God’s invisible presence becomes visible in our midst in Jesus, not only a great prophet, but the Son of God become flesh and blood, like us in everything except sin.

Lk 9:11b-17
Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”
He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.” Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.” They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

Trinity Sunday is a good opportunity to pay special attention to what we do and pray every Sunday at Mass so that we realize more deeply that every Sunday is Trinity Sunday. In addition, the first Scripture reading (Proverbs 8:22-31) reminds us of the first affirmation of the creed that we proclaim every Sunday. Always and everywhere we ought to give thanks for the marvels of creation — gift of the Father to us through his eternal Divine Wisdom, the Word Incarnate.

We should not allow Trinity Sunday to pass by without mentioning the church’s sacramentals, which remind us of our life in the trinity of divine love. One of my favorites is the famous Russian icon painted by Andrei Rublev in the early part of the fifteenth century. The three persons of the Holy Trinity — Rublev uses the image of the three angels who came to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18 — sit at the eucharistic table in the unity of an intimately related half-circle, beckoning to be completed. The icon reveals that we are all invited to accept the hospitality of the three divine persons in their eternal home, and to share their gift of holy bread and wine.

There seems to be a contradiction between the coming of the Spirit as recorded in this gospel and in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. In the gospel, the Spirit is given by Jesus himself on Easter day, whereas in Acts the Spirit comes upon the disciples at the Jewish feast of Pentecost which occurred fifty days after Passover (2:1-4). This dilemma appears to be resolved when we recall that the Spirit was also given to the prophets of the Old Testament. After the resurrection of Jesus, it is the fullness of the Spirit that is offered to us, and this can happen in various ways and on many occasions.
What matters most is to understand the implications of this out-pouring of God’s Spirit. This is clearly presented in today’s gospel where the new presence of Jesus in the Spirit is expressed in terms of peace, mission and forgiveness. The risen Lord addressed his disciples with the greeting, “Peace.” However, this is no longer just a wish, as is the case when we use it as a greeting; it is now a GIFT. Living in the Spirit of Jesus will provide us with a deep confidence that can withstand even the most tragic experiences.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.

John 14: 23 – 29
23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
24 He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you.
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
28 You heard me say to you, `I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.
29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe.

There is no greater proof of God’s love for us than the Cross of Jesus Christ. In the cross we see a new way of love – a love that is unselfish and selflessly oriented to serving others for their good, and a sacrificial love that is forgiving, compassionate, and merciful beyond comprehension. Jesus commands us, his disciples, to love one another just as he has loved us. How can we love our neighbor selflessly, sacrificially, and with compassion? Through the victory of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we now have full access to God’s unlimited mercy, grace, and powr to love and forgive even those who cause us grief and suffering. God gives us new abundant life in his Holy Spirit and he fills our hearts with the supernatural gifts of faith, hope, and love. Paul the Apostle reminds us that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). As we turn to God with trust and obedience, he transforms our hearts and frees us from our hurts and prejudices so that we can freely choose to love others with compassion, kindness, and mercy. The Lord Jesus has set us free from slavery to fear, sin, and prejudice. We are now free to choose for his way of love and holiness. Do you seek to bring glory to God in the way you love and treat others?

In order to appreciate fully the import of this beautiful gospel passage, we need to pay close attention to the context. Earlier in chapter ten, Jesus had called himself the good shepherd and then defined a good shepherd as one who loves his sheep and is prepared to die for them. Sheep herding, contrary to some popular conceptions, is a hard and lonely life, but the true shepherd loves his work and gladly accepts many sacrifices in order to keep his flock safe and sound.

When Jesus says, therefore, that “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me,” he is assuming that the sheep already know how completely he has earned their trust. The sheep hear his distinctive call and follow him, not just because he is an authority figure in their lives, but because he has been such a good shepherd to them.

This example is, of course, only a metaphor for us Christians who belong to the spiritual flock of Jesus. We are assumed to have experienced his love and to know him so well that we implicitly trust his message as well as his promise of eternal life.