23 August 2026 – 21st Sunday, (A)
23 August 2026 – 21st Sunday, (A)
(1) Isaiah 22:19-23
Isaiah warns Shebna that the key, the symbol of his authority, will be taken from him
Thus says the Lord to Shebna, the master of the palace: “I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your post. On that day I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and will clothe him with your robe and bind your sash on him. I will commit your authority to his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honour to his ancestral house.
Responsorial: Psalm 137:1-3, 6, 8
R./: Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I thank you, Lord, with all my heart,
you have heard the words of my mouth.
Before the angels I will bless you,
I will adore before your holy temple. (R./)
I thank you for your faithfulness and love
which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered;
you increased the strength of my soul. (R./)
The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly
and the haughty he knows from afar.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
discard not the work of your hands. (R./)
(2) Romans 11:33-36
After the anguished chapters 9-11 comes a hymn to the wisdom and goodness of God
O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20
Peter declares faith in Jesus and is promised the keys of the kingdom
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Shepherd and Rock
Above the sanctuary of Saint Peter’s basilica in Rome, written in huge lettering of gold mosaic, is this promise of Jesus to his chief apostle: “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” These words are held by Catholics as the basis for the papacy, applying to the bishop of Rome as the successor to Peter, to be the chief spokesman for the church’s living faith, and wielder of the spiritual power of the keys.
We must not be too simplistic in how we apply those words to the original Peter and even more so to his successors. Non-catholic Christians, our brethren in the Protestant churches, do not accept that there could be any succession, in the full sense, to the position held by Saint Peter. They find any claims to juridical and absolute authority for the papacy, under titles like “apostolic jurisdiction” or “the power of the keys” to be out of harmony with the Gospel message. They interpret differently what today’s Gospel means for leadership in the Church. We need not insist that the Roman way is the only way of taking Christ’s words. Still, this Gospel deserves close attention for what it says about faith, enlightenment and leadership, and guidance for our own lives.
Each must make a personal answer to Our Lord’s question: “Who do you say that I am?’ although Peter’s credo is a solid basis from which to begin. Notice the beautiful phrase: “Son of the Living God,” expressing more richly what “Christ” means. Peter’s worshipful faith comes to him as gift from above, not from any mere logic or ingenuity. Why was the blessing given to him in particular? Perhaps because his humble and contrite spirit made him best prepared to receive it? Or because God chooses whom He wills, irrespective of their merits? It is to this Peter that Jesus entrusts whatever is meant by the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Upon his solid, dedicated faith the Church will always rely, for unity and encouragement. Keys are mainly for opening; many doors lock by themselves. We could reflect further on Peter’s task, as seen in other Gospel passages (Mat. 14:28ff; 17:24ff; Lk. 22:32; Jn. 21:15-17) , and in the Acts (1:1 5ff, 2: 14ff; 3:1 2ff) .
While he is appointed to “feed the lambs and sheep” of Christ, to “confirm his brethren,” and welcome the first pagan convert into the Church, Peter is no plaster saint. Weakness of faith (when he began to sink) , rash self-confidence and eventual denial are also portrayed by him. But these serve only to underline the grandeur of his conversion, when with a new clarity of self-knowledge he turns and says to Jesus: “You know that I love you.” The task is not one of stern domination, or merely of the efficient organisation of Christ’s Church. Pastor and penitent at once, convert and the support for other converted sinners, he leads the faithful by witness and example. This pastoral understanding of authority finds a lovely echo in the first epistle of Peter. Elders or leaders are asked to “tend the flock of God, not as domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (5:13.) Just so, Peter tended the early church by sharing his deep faith in Christ the Risen Lord. So, he kept them united in a community of mutual love, and in faithful obedience to the Gospel. Such an ideal situation of harmony in the Church is briefly sketched for us in the Acts (2:42ff; 4:32f.)
What of today’s Church, spread in all continents, united under the leadership of pope Francis? How can this work of teaching, encouraging and uniting so many millions of baptised believers be carried on? Jesus remains at the centre, as the Christ, Son of the Living God, and he continues to be the Church’s true Rock. We today, just as much as in the time of St Peter, need the ministry of faithful apostles, entrusted by Christ to build up his people, witness to the faith, and provide leadership in Christian love. Pope, bishops, priests and other ministries exist in order to serve. But in some sense, we get the service that we deserve. It is for us to make known to our pastors both our appreciation and our loyal criticisms; especially to pray for them, for their courage and perseverance. Today we particularly remember the present successor of Peter, our Pope; that God may establish him in faith and wisdom; that being strong in himself, he may confirm the brethren; and that as Chief Shepherd he may help us on our way to the Kingdom.
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Key Message:
Jesus is asking, “Who am I to you?”
Homily:
In 1973, the President of a non-christian country reached out to Saint Mother Teresa to request that she send her Missionaries of Charity Sisters to set up homes in his country to care for the sick, poor and disabled. At the time, the country had laws prohibiting public Christian places of worship or the residence of Catholic priests. When the government welcomed the sisters but refused to grant permission for a Catholic priest to accompany them, Saint Mother Teresa firmly declined the invitation. She explained her rule: “I wanted to give them sisters, but the trouble was that, without a priest, without Jesus going with them, our sisters couldn’t go anywhere.” For Saint Mother Teresa, “Jesus was everything”.
In today’s Gospel reading, our loving Lord Jesus asks, “Who am I to you? Am I simply the loving Jesus you meet on Sunday and forget on Monday? or have I become your friend?” We see multivarious responses for the question. The Apostle Peter said that people say our Lord is “John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” They have seen our loving Lord Jesus as a person, witnessed His powerful miracles and heard His enlightening sermons. So they mapped our Lord to the powerful prophets, who have been doing all these activities. They failed to recognise our Lord Jesus as the Son of God Himself.
Sometimes, without realizing it, the same thing can happen in our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. We may have been Christians from childhood. We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that He performed miracles, that He died on the cross and rose on the third day. We know the Our Father, Hail Mary, Creed and Rosary. We attend Sunday Mass and receive Holy Communion. All these are wonderful and necessary gifts that lead us toward Christ. But today’s Gospel challenges us to go one step deeper. Do I merely know many things about Jesus, or do I know Jesus as a Person?
When two people are very close, they do not communicate only when there is a problem. They share their happiness, disappointments, fears and ordinary experiences. If something wonderful happens, we immediately want to tell the person whom we love. If something painful happens, we want that person beside us. This is the kind of relationship Jesus desires with us. He does not want to remain only the God whom we visit for an hour on Sunday. He wants to become the Person with whom we walk throughout the entire week.
Let us consider Peter walking on the water, we read it a couple of weeks ago. When the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the sea, Peter said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Our Jesus simply answered, “Come.” Peter stepped out of the boat. Human intelligence would have told him that people cannot walk on water. His experience as a fisherman would have told him that getting out of the boat in a storm was dangerous. Yet Peter trusted the Person who called him.
This is what happens when our relationship with our Jesus becomes strong. We may not understand everything God is doing, but we know the One whom we are following.
When Peter started looking at the wind instead of our Lord, he began sinking. But even there we see the beauty of relationship. Peter did not give a long prayer. He simply cried, “Lord, save me!” Our Lord immediately stretched out His hand.
Sometimes our prayers can also be very simple. When we are confused, we can say, “Jesus, guide me.” When we are angry, “Jesus, control my words.” When we are afraid, “Jesus, stay with me.” When we make a mistake, “Jesus, forgive me and help me begin again.” These small conversations throughout the day gradually create a deep relationship with our Lord.
There is another beautiful point in today’s Gospel. Peter tells our Jesus who Lord Jesus is: “You are the Messiah.” Immediately our Lord tells Peter who Peter is: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.” When Peter discovered the identity of our Lord, our Lord revealed Peter’s identity and mission.
This is also true in our lives. When we become close to Jesus, we begin discovering who we really are and what God wants us to do. “What is my purpose?” We sometimes look for the answer only in our career, salary, talents or achievements. But our deepest purpose is discovered in our relationship with the One who created us.
The manufacturer knows the purpose of the product better than anybody else. In the same way, our Creator understands the purpose of our life better than we do.
Our Lord Jesus chose Peter even though He knew all of Peter’s weaknesses. This is one of the most encouraging parts of today’s Gospel. Jesus tells Peter that He will build His Church upon this rock and gives him the keys of the Kingdom. Yet Jesus already knew Peter completely.
Jesus knew that Peter would sometimes speak without understanding. Jesus knew that Peter would become afraid while walking on water. Jesus knew that Peter would later deny Him three times. Still, Jesus chose Peter for an extraordinary mission.
Quick tips to practically develop a close relationship with Jesus..
1. Include Jesus in our ordinary conversations
We do not speak to our closest family members only once a week. We communicate throughout the day. Similarly, our prayer life should not be limited to formal prayer alone. When we wake up, we can say, “Good morning, Jesus, thank You for giving me another day.” Before an important meeting, “Jesus, give me wisdom.” When we are travelling, “Jesus, protect everyone travelling today.” When somebody irritates us, instead of immediately reacting, “Jesus, help me handle this person with love.” At night, “Jesus, thank You for staying with me today.”
These may appear to be very small prayers, but relationships are often built through small conversations repeated every day.
2. Give Jesus some exclusive time every day
If we tell somebody, “You are the most important person in my life,” but never have time for that person, our words will eventually sound empty. The same principle applies to our relationship with Jesus. Can we give Jesus ten or fifteen minutes every day when He has our complete attention? Keep the phone away. Read a small Gospel passage. Talk honestly with Jesus. Then remain silent for a few minutes.
We are often very good at talking during prayer but not very good at listening. We tell Jesus twenty things we need, say “Amen,” and leave. A close relationship requires both speaking and listening.
3. One simple exercise for this week
Every morning this week, imagine Jesus standing before you and asking the question from today’s Gospel:
“Who do you say that I am?”
Let us not give Him a memorized answer alone. Let us answer from our life.
Peter spent years walking with Jesus, making mistakes, learning, falling and getting up again. He did not get transformed overnight.
We too do not need to become perfect before becoming close to our Lord Jesus. In fact, we become transformed precisely by staying close to Him.
Let us not wait until we become old, until our problems are solved, or until we have more time.
Talk to Him when you wake up. Consult Him when you make decisions. Run to Him when you fail. Thank Him when you succeed. Sit with Him when you are lonely. Receive Him lovingly in the Eucharist. And allow Him to become part of every ordinary moment of your life.
Then, when our Lord Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?”, our answer will not merely come from our lips.
Our entire life will answer:
“My Jesus, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. You are my Saviour, my closest Friend and the centre of my life”.
Thank you my Lord Jesus for being the center of my life. May my love for you always hasten the growth of our relationship. Amen.