Cycle A - Year II:  

23 August 2020: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 22:19-23

Second Reading:   Romans 11:33-36

Gospel:  Please Read  Matthew 16:13-20

"Who do you say that I am?"

 From childhood we are taught our catechism about our Catholic faith. And so our generation grew up fortunate enough to know who our Lord Jesus Christ is.  Jesus is the Son of the living God!

How did the first apostles know the truth about our Lord Jesus Christ?

This Sunday's Gospel narrative tells us how the first disciples knew Jesus Christ and how that knowledge of Him gave them the courage and inspiration to follow our Lord in His public ministry, even unto death.

 Now at that time Jesus has established faithful followers.  At a certain point in His mission, He wanted to know to what extent His disciples had pierced the mystery of His person  So Jesus asked the closest disciples about what people though of Him?  They replied with many answers: for some He was "John the Baptizer"; for others "Elijah" who the Jews believed would reappear before the coming of the Messiah; and still for others, the prophet "Jeremiah" who had come back to life.

But then, Jesus was not really interested about what other people say about Him.  He wanted to know how His own ministry had disclosed His true identity.  So our Lord Jesus asked the disciples the decisive question: "But who do you say that I am?"

Peter was the one who has the deepest insights into our Lord's person.  Peter was quick to reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!"  By his answer, Peter grasped the deepest reality of Jesus: His divine being.  Our Lord Himself said that this understanding did not come from Peter's human capabilities.  Rather, Peter was given knowledge of the mystery of Jesus because he listened to the Lord, saw His miraculous deeds, and trusted Jesus absolutely.

The Gospel story continues that Jesus rewarded the faith and confession of Peter by giving him the key, or the leadership of the Church Jesus Himself established.  So Jesus said to Peter: "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.  I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

So then, the Gospel this Sunday has two parts: the first part is the Confession of Peter, and the second part is the Commissioning of Peter as the first Pope.  And Peter accomplished his mission, leading the Church to our generation through all the Popes that succeeded him.  And so the "Pope, following Saint Peter, continues to play a crucial role in guiding and maintaining the unity of the Catholic Church."

And today our Lord Jesus Christ asks the same question to all Christians in our generation: "And you, who do you that I am?"

Now our individual and collective response to this question defines our relationship with our Lord Jesus.  Like Peter, our "confession" of faith must also go deeper than just lip service.  Our "confession" of faith must come with a "commissioning" to be Jesus' disciples here and now, in our time.  "Commissioning" means effectively translating our "confession" of faith into concrete actions for the good of the whole Church, for example, through love and Christian charity for others, within our family, the bigger community, the nation, and the whole world.  Especially during this worldwide pandemic, our Christian charity to those who need is a concrete witnessing of our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Messiah.

In the Holy Eucharist at Mass, let us pray for the present successor of St. Peter, our Pope Francis and other leaders of the Church that they remain faithful stewards and exercise their pastoral authority according to the examples of our Lord Jesus Christ, the sole foundation of the Church, especially during these most trying times in the history of our nation.

Let us also pray for our Christian brethren persecuted because of their faith, that they remain steadfast and unwavering in the belief that victory in Jesus Christ is their final reward....in God's kingdom.  Amen.

A blessed Sunday to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!