Cycle A - Year I:  

27 August 2023: 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?"

This Sunday tells us about one of the most profound questions in all of scripture asked by our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples: "Who do you say that I am?" This question is also for us, and for the rest of the world. It is a question that all followers of Jesus must answer, not just once, but a various times in our life.

The Gospel narrative is about how the first disciples knew Jesus Christ and how that knowledge of Him gave them courage and inspiration to follow our Lord in His public ministry even unto death.

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

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

It was Peter who has the deepest insights into our Lord's person, and was quick to reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!"   Peter's answer shows that he grasped the reality of Jesus: His divine being. Jesus 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 our Lord, saw His miraculous deeds, and trusted Jesus absolutely.

Thus, our Lord rewarded the faith and confession of Peter by giving him the key, which means the leadership of the Church Jesus Himself established. He 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." (Mt 16:18-19)  

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

In our own generation, the question "who do we say that Jesus is?" is very important because our answer directly affects how we live our faith. And what we believe about God affects all sorts of other things, like how we pray.   

Our individual and collective response to this question defines our relationship with our Lord Jesus. Our "confession" of faith must 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.

In the Holy Eucharist at Mass, let us pray for the present successor of St. Peter, Pope Francis and other leaders of the Church to remain faithful stewards and exercise their pastoral authority according to the examples of our Lord Jesus Christ, the sole foundation of the Church. 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!