21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 23, 2026
Who is Jesus for me, and how does Jesus impact my life?
GOSPEL
Matthew 16:13-20
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
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." Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL
Structure of Matthew chapter 16 can be divided into five parts:
The Pharisees demand a sign and Jesus responds (verses 1-4)
Jesus' warning to avoid the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees (verses 5-12)
Peter's profession of the Christ and the Son of God founds His Church (verses 13-20)
The first prediction of the Passion (verses 21-23)
Jesus states the conditions of discipleship (verses 24-28)
Matthew 16:1-4 — The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand a Sign from Heaven 1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came and, to test him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He said to them in reply, "(in the evening you say, Tomorrow will be fair, for the sky is red'; 3 and, in the morning, Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to judge the appearance of the sky, but you cannot judge the signs of the times.) 4 An evil and unfaithful [adulterous] generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away. (..) this passage does not appear in all manuscripts; [..] = literal translation (The Interlinear Bible: Greek-English, vol. IV, pages 46-47). This is the second time Jesus has been asked to produce a "sign" that His authority comes from God (12:38), but this time it isn't just the Pharisees and scribes who are asking. The Sadducees have also come from Jerusalem to demand that Jesus produce a sign from heaven to authenticate His claims (i.e., 9:6). Both groups are refusing to accept His exorcisms and healings as evidence of the authentication of His claims. That they are united in their desire to "test" Jesus (verse 1) may suggest a link to Satan who also tested Jesus (Mt 4:1-11). Jesus has already referred to the Pharisees and scribes who oppose Him as the "sons" of Satan when He called them a "brood of vipers" and accused them of being evil (Mt 12:34).
Question: What did Jesus tell the Pharisees and scribes who demanded a sign in 12:38-42?
Answer: Jesus called them an "evil and unfaithful/adultrous generation" and told them no sign would be given except the "sign of Jonah."
The Sadducees were rivals of the Pharisees; both groups competed for the approval and support of the people. Most of the chief priests were Sadducees. This is the first of several occasions where the two groups will be united in their opposition to Jesus.
Question: Why are they asking for a "sign from heaven"/from God and what kind of sign are they demanding as proof that His authority comes from God if His words of healing of the sick, restoring of the physical disabled, casting out demons and raising the dead are not enough?
Answer: Their purpose is to discredit Jesus in front of the people. They are probably asking for a sign like the Theophany at Sinai.
Matthew 16:2-3 — He said to them in reply, "[in the evening you say, Tomorrow will be fair, for the sky is red'; 3 and, in the morning, Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to judge the appearance of the sky, but you cannot judge the signs of the times.] The bracketed passage is not found in a number of important Greek manuscripts of Matthew, but it is similar to a passage in Luke 12:54-56.
Question: What is Jesus' response to their demand for a sign from God in this passage?
Answer: He tells them they apparently know how to read the signs of the weather but cannot read the "signs of the times," meaning they cannot or will not interpret His miracles as signs of His authority and the beginning of the Messianic Age as predicted in the writings of the prophets.
Matthew 16:4 — An evil and unfaithful (adulterous) generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away.
Question: When did Jesus make this same charge previously and what is significant about Jesus using the charge of adultery in the literal translation? See the chart "Symbolic Images of the Old Testament Prophets."
Answer: Jesus' accusation that His generation is "adulterous," means that they are unfaithful to Yahweh who is Israel's divine Bridegroom; it is another symbolic image of the prophets "marriage" imagery for Israel's covenant relationship with God. When the Israelites become "unfaithful" to their covenant obligations they are behaving like an adulterous wife. Jesus made the same charge in 12:39.
Question: Once again Jesus tells His opponents that the only sign they will be given is the "sign of Jonah." What is that sign? See 12:39-40 and CCC 994.
Answer: Using the "sign" of the prophet Jonah who was inside the belly of the whale (or great fish) for three days before he was released, Jesus predicted His death and Resurrection as the only sign they will see.
Mathew 16:5-12 — Jesus' Warning against the Teaching of the Failed Leadership of the Old Covenant 5 In coming to the other side of the sea, the disciples had forgotten to bring bread. 6 Jesus said to them, "Look out, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 7 They concluded among themselves, saying, "It is because we have brought no bread." 8 When Jesus became aware of this he said, "You of little faith, why do you conclude among yourselves that it is because you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand, and do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many wicker baskets you took up? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? 11 How do you not comprehend that I was not speaking to you about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. There are some amusing elements to this exchange between Jesus and His disciples. Jesus is still focused on His confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees and uses leaven as a symbol of their false interpretation of the Law and their evil influence that spreads like an infection in the same way yeast expands dough. The disciples, however, are more concerned about their empty stomachs "their focus is more on the material than the spiritual.
Question: How does Jesus point out that it is ridiculous for them to be concerned about the lack of bread?
Answer: He reminds them of the two miracle feedings. If He can feed more than five thousand and more than four thousand He can certainly provide for their needs. When Jesus repeats His warning, they suddenly understand that Jesus is comparing leaven to the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.(1) A small amount of leaven can ferment the whole batch of dough (13:33) but the wrong amount can also cause the dough to go bad (1 Cor 5:6; Gal 5:9) just as the false doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees threatens to misguide the people (Mt 15:14).
Matthew 16:13-20 — St. Peter's Profession of the Christ and Jesus Proclaims the Founding of His Church 13 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. 18 And so I say to you, you are Peter [Petros], and upon this rock [petra] I will build my Church [ekklesia], and the gates of the netherworld [Hades] shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of 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." 20 Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah. [..] = literal translation (The Interlinear Bible: Greek-English, vol. IV, pages 47-48 ). Jesus led His disciples to the region of Caesarea Philippi, about 40 km (more than 20 miles) north of the Sea of Galilee). Caesarea Philippi was a town (also described as a collection of villages in Mk 8:27) located on the southern slope of Mount Hermon, strategically located on the border with Syria. It was located in what had been the territory of the Israelite tribe of Dan that was at one time the northern boundary of the Promised Land. At this time it was part of the tetrarchy of Herod the Great's son Philip and had a largely Gentile population. It was near the site of one of the springs that was a source of the Jordan River, the site of which was considered to be a spiritual location from the time of the Canaanite inhabitants who built shrines to Baal-gad (Josh 11:17; 12:7; 13:5) and Baal-hermon (Judg 3:3; 1 Christian 5:23). After the Greek conquest in the 4th century BC, the Greeks dedicated a shrine to Pan (pagan god of nature, shepherds, flocks, the spring and fertility) at the site where the headwaters of the Jordan River emerged from the ground (Josephus, Antiquities, 15.10.3 [364]). They also named the nearly town Panias after the Greek god. Then, in the latter part of the 1st century BC, Herod the Great built a temple to Caesar Augustus near the source of the Jordan River. When Philip became the ruler of the region, he rebuilt the small town of Panias into a Hellenistic city, naming it after the Roman Caesar and adding his own name.(2) In choosing this rocky mountain location to announce the foundation of His Church upon Peter and Peter's proclamation of faith in Jesus as the divine Messiah, Jesus was reclaiming holy ground that had been usurped by the pagans.
Question: Using His favorite title for Himself, what does Jesus ask the disciples and why do they respond the way they do?Answer: He asks what was the common view of the people concerning His identity, and they respond that some think He is John the Baptist returned from the dead like Herod Antipas (Mt 14:2), others think He is the prophet Elijah who was prophesied to herald the coming of the Messiah (Mal 3:23/4:5), while others say Jesus has come in the spirit of the prophet Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.
All of the men mentioned by the disciples were prophets. While there had been many false prophets, the people realized that the true spirit of prophecy had been absent from the people of God since the last prophet Malachi in the 5th century BC. The coming of God's supreme prophet as promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 and an outpouring of God's Spirit (Ez 36:26-27; Joel 3:1-2) were the signs that the people believed heralded the coming of the Messianic Age. Jesus was teaching with authority, speaking in the symbolic language of the prophets and performing miracles and symbolic acts like the prophets.
Question: Does Jesus ever refer to Himself as a prophet? See Mt 13:57 and Lk 13:33.
Answer: Yes, Jesus referred to Himself as a prophet during His visit to Nazareth and will again before He goes to Jerusalem to die.
Then Jesus asks His disciples what they believe about His true identity.
Question: How does St. Peter respond to Jesus' question concerning His true identity?
Answer: Peter confesses that He is not only the Messiah but that He is the Son of the Living God.
Question: What does Peter mean using these titles for Jesus in his confession of faith? See CCC 441-42.
Answer: While the usual meaning of the title "son of God" in the Old Testament referred to a form of adoption as "sons" of God for angels, prophets, the children of Israel, Davidic kings, etc., this is not the way Peter offers his confession of Jesus' identity. It is Jesus' response which tells us that Peter understands Jesus' true identity as the divine Son of God the Father.
Matthew 16:17 — Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father(emphasis added).
Question: What does Jesus' response reveal to the reader?
Answer: Acknowledging Peter's confession of faith, Jesus blesses him and tells the assembled disciples that Simon-Peter received this knowledge not from any human person ("flesh and blood") but, by the grace of God the Father, Peter has received a divine revelation of Jesus' true nature.
Matthew 16:18 — And so I say to you, you are Peter [Petros], and upon this rock [petra] I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld [Hades] shall not prevail against it.
Jesus would have been speaking in Aramaic and the Aramaic translation of the key words for "rock" in Jesus' statement would have been in English: "You are the Rock [Kepa] and upon this rock [kepa] I will build my Church." In response to Peter's confession of faith, Jesus reaffirms the new name He gave him when Jesus first met him on the banks of the Jordan River before He began His ministry in the Galilee. At that time He said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Kephas" (which is translated Peter) (Jn 1:42; emphasis added; also see Mk 3:16 and Lk 6:14 for evidence an earlier name change).
Kephas is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic word kepawhich means "rock."(3) In the Greek text Matthew uses the masculine Petrosfor the Greek feminine word for "rock" which is petra. Bible scholars and historians have not found any evidence that either Kepha or Petros were used as personal names prior to Jesus conferring the name on Simon as the leader of the Apostles to symbolize his change in destiny from humble fisherman to the foundation stone of the Messiah's community of disciples (NJB Study Edition, page 1637, footnote "f").
Notice that Jesus identified the name of Peter's father as "John" (Yehohanan in Hebrew) in John 1:42. This same name for Peter's father is given in John 21:15, 16 and 17. However, in verse 17 Jesus calls him Simeon bar Jonah (Matthew uses the Aramaic word for son, "bar" instead of the Hebrew, "ben"). This is the sixth time Jesus has mentioned the Galilean prophet Jonah (see Mt 12:39, 40, 41 twice, and 16:4 or the chart in handout 1 of Lesson 16), symbolically linking the prophet Jonah to Jesus' mission. This time Jesus links Jonah to Peter's mission.
Question: If Simon-Peter was the son of a man named "John," then why did Jesus call Peter "Simon son of Jonah"? How are Peter's mission and Jonah's mission alike?
Answer: Jonah was a Galilean who was sent by God to the Gentile people of Nineveh, the capital city of the region's super-power, the Assyrian Empire, to tell them to repent and to acknowledge the God of Israel. Jesus will send the Galilean, Simon-Peter, to Rome, the capital city of the region's super-power, the Roman Empire, to tell the Gentiles of the Roman world to repent and to accept Jesus as Lord-God and Savior.
Jesus changed Simon's name to Kepha "Rock, Petros in Greek and Peter in the English transliteration of the Greek name. A change in the name of a servant of God signifies a change in destiny, as in Hoshea's name change to Yehoshua/Joshua (Num 13:16). In the Old Testament "rock" was a word used to describe Abraham as the physical father from whom the children of Israel were hewn (Is 51:1-2). Rock is not just an adjective used to describe Peter as the spiritual father of the New Covenant children of God. Jesus uses the word as a personal name signifying a change in Simon's destiny as the leader and foundation "rock" of Jesus' Church (CCC 881). The Greek text uses the word ekklesia, meaning "called out." It is a word meant to define Jesus' assembly of believers. It is a word that in English is best translated as "Church" and expresses same meaning as the Hebrew word for the assembly of the chosen people who were the kahal, the "called out" ones "those called out of the world and into covenant with Yahweh.(4) and the gates of the netherworld [Hades] shall not prevail against it.Hades is the Greek word for the abode of the dead; in Hebrew the realm of the dead is Sheol. This realm of the dead was conceived of as a walled city in which its inhabitants were imprisoned. In this statement Jesus promises that His Church will not be overcome by the power of death "the Church of His heavenly kingdom will overcome death.
Matthew 16:19 — I will give you the keys of 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.
Question: What three spiritual gifts does Peter receive in Jesus' blessing in verses 17-19?
Answer: Peter has been given divine insight, power and authority. He has the authority to forgive sins or to bind sins (thus controlling the entrance into the heavenly kingdom) and is commissioned as the leader of the Apostles and the entire community of believers that will become the New Covenant Church.
Question: Jesus has elevated Simon-Peter above his fellow Apostles to be the leader of Jesus' ministers and the Vicar of His Kingdom. How is the office of the Davidic Vicar/Prime Minister Eliakim described in Isaiah 22:20-25?
Answer:
He wore a garment that identified his high office (verse 21)
He was a "father" to the people of the kingdom (verse 21)
As the Vicar of the King, the Davidic chief minister kept the "key of the house of David" (verse 22)
The key was his sign of authority and gave him the power to "open and shut" "make binding decisions for the good of the kingdom (verse 22)
He is responsible for the glory of his family "from the least to the greatest member ""all the little dishes, from bowls to jugs" (verse 24)
In the same way, Peter is now called to serve as the Vicar of Christ the King and have authority over His Kingdom of heaven on earth, the Church "the "household/family of Christ. Jesus' giving Peter the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" is Peter's official elevation to the office of Vicar of Christ's Kingdom and the shepherd of the whole flock (also see Jn 21:15-17; CCC 553). Peter's office, established by Jesus Christ and the pastoral office of the other Apostles as Christ's lesser ministers forms an apostolic college that belongs to the foundation of the Church. These are offices founded by Christ that are continued in the primacy of the Pope and the universal Magisterium of the bishops (CCC 869, 880-81).
Question: The responsibilities of Peter's high office have been passed down to Christ's Vicars who have succeeded him. How is the authority of the Popes of the Catholic Church, the Vicars of Christ who have succeeded St. Peter, the same as the Davidic Vicars?
Answer:
The Pope wears a garment that identifies his high office
He is a "father" to the people of Christ's kingdom "the Church
As the Vicar of the King, the Pope has the symbolic "keys of the Kingdom Jesus entrusted to Peter
The keys are his sign of authority and give him the power to "bind and loose" "make binding decisions for the good of the Church
He is responsible for the glory of his family, the community of the world-wide Church "from the least to the greatest members
Question: Unlike the Davidic Vicar in Isaiah 22:22, Peter will be given the "keys" plural. What are the two keys that are in Peter's control?
Answer: The two keys refer to the power Peter has to "bind and loose" sins, controlling the keys that give access to the kingdom of heaven "the key that releases man from the gates of death in Sheol/Hades and the key that provides entry into the gates of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. The authority to "bind and loose" will be repeated to Peter and the college of Apostles (Mt 18:18) and is reaffirmed after Jesus' Resurrection when Jesus breaths the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and tells them: "Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so I send you."And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" (Jn 20:21-23).
Question: What authority did Jesus give Peter and the Apostles and their successors in using the metaphors of binding and loosing? See CCC 553, 1441-45.
Answer: The power to bind and loose is exercised by Christ's Vicar and the Magisterium:
To forgive sins and to pronounce penance for sins to reconcile sinners to the Church
To give authoritative teaching and make judgments concerning correct doctrine
To discipline the congregation of the faithful when some fall into error by imposing or later lifting the ban of excommunication
From this time forward, the acknowledgement of Jesus' divine sonship will become the confession of apostolic faith revealed by God, first spoken by Peter and the Apostles and disciples, and repeated by the faithful across the world today; it is on the rock of this faith, confessed by Peter, that Christ built His Church (CCC 424).
Matthew 16:20 — Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah. According to the Gospel of St. John, this is the second year of Jesus' ministry. Jesus warns the disciples not to reveal His true identity. Such a declaration would serve to intensify the enmity of the Pharisees and Sadducees and it is not yet time for the climax of salvation history's great drama of the revelation of the Messiah. However, now that His disciples know His true identity, Jesus will begin to prepare them for the traumatic events they are destined to experience.
Matthew 16:21-23 — Jesus' First Prediction of the Passion 21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. 22 Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." 23 He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Verse 21 announces a turning point in Jesus' ministry. This is the first of three predictions that Jesus gives concerning His Passion (also see Mt 17:22-23; 20:17-19). In sharing this secret with the disciples, Jesus is correcting the common misperception that the Messiah is coming in triumph and glory to vanquish Israel's enemies and to re-establish the Davidic kingdom on earth just as it had been in the past in the glory days of kings David and Solomon. Jesus' revelation of His suffering and death in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies of the Suffering Servant (Is 52:13-53:12) marks a new phase in Jesus' ministry, as Matthew introduces with the phrase "From that time on ..." (Mt 16:21). See the chart Isaiah’s Suffering Servant fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. The reference to the "third day" in verse 21, in addition to being a link to the "sign of Jonah" may also be meant to recall Hosea 6:1-2: In their affliction, they shall look for me: "Come, let us return to the LORD, for it is he who has rent, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds. He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, to live in his presence.
Question: Why does Peter resist what Jesus has told the disciples about His suffering and death, and why does Jesus rebuke him so harshly? Hint: Peter may be thinking of the fate of other chief priests opposed God's plan in favor of their own (see Lev 10:1-2).
Answer: Peter now understands that Jesus is the divine Messiah "He is God Himself come to gather His scattered people and fulfill the prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 34. Peter knows the Temple hierarchy has no power over the Christ and so he cannot comprehend why Jesus would allow Himself to be killed by those in authority over the Church of the Sinai Covenant when He could simply consume them in holy fire like the rebellious priestly sons of Aaron. Jesus rebukes Peter because he has voiced opposition to God's plan when he should be humbly accepting God's plan and assisting Jesus in His mission.
The Hebrew word satan means adversary. Whenever one stands as an adversary to God's plan for man's salvation that person is indeed acting as Satan in human form. Jesus' rebuke of Peter is similar to His rebuke of Satan in Matthew 4:10.
Matthew 16:24-28 — Jesus States the Conditions of Discipleship 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. 28 Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." Jesus uses the image of a cross, an instrument of death in the execution of criminals, as a shocking metaphor for the obedience of discipleship.
Question: What is Jesus condition for true discipleship?
Answer: The willingness to disown one's self interest to the point of being willing to die for Jesus.
Verse 27 is a prophecy of the return of Christ (the Parousia) after His Ascension and the Last Judgment, but in the next verse Jesus says that there are those standing in His presence who will witness the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. The coming in His glory and the coming of His Kingdom are two different events.
Question: What is "the Kingdom" of Jesus Christ in verse 28? See Mt 13:38 and 41.
Answer: According to the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat, the Kingdom of the Son of Man is the world and the Church is the place where His kingdom is manifested.
Jesus' sovereignty over the world will be established in His glorious Resurrection when He has defeated sin and death. His sovereignty over the world precedes His Second Coming in glory in the event of the Parousia. Those who will live to see the Son of Man "coming in His Kingdom" are those who will live to see His glorious Resurrection and Ascension. The phrase the Son of Man coming in his kingdom is probably also a reference to Daniel's vision: I saw One like a son of man coming on the clouds of heaven; when he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, he received dominion, glory, and kingship; nations and peoples of every language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed(Dan 7:13-14). Jesus will refer to this passage at His trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin (Mt 26:64; Mk 14:61-64).
First Impressions by Jude Siciliano, OP
Let’s start with the Romans reading because Paul sounds like he’s on a high. The first two verses end in exclamation points. In the next two he quotes from another source and each ends in question marks; but they could just as easily have been exclamation points too, “For who has known the mind of the Lord...!” I imagine another exclamation would quite nicely end the closing verse as well. So, I wonder why is Paul so excited? It helps, as always with Paul, to put the lines in context. In chapters 9-11 of Romans Paul struggles with the seeming failure of Israel to respond to the grace offered in Jesus Christ. While Paul’s beloved people seemed, as a whole, to reject God’s outreach to them in Christ; the gentiles did accept God’s hand. Paul concludes that God used the initial rejection by the Jews as an opportunity to reach out to the gentiles, who were the recipients of Paul’s preaching (“the apostle to the gentiles,” 11:13). Paul is confident that the same grace freely bestowed on the gentiles will, in turn, be offered to Israel as well (11: 25-26). God’s mercy is available to both gentile and Jew; indeed, Paul concludes, God can even use rebellious hearts to produce a gracious end. That is what has Paul so excited; that God has used even the rejections of Jesus by the Jews as away to reach out to the gentiles. And more, for Paul says that God continues to embrace Israel in mercy (11: 25-26). Paul shouts out in praise of God because he has come to see that God can use disobedience as an opportunity for grace. In response to what Paul is saying, we shouldn’t give up on our selves, or anyone else. As persistent as the habit of sin is in us and our institutions, God’s grace is even more persistent. Considering Paul’s “grace optimism,” do we have any authority or grounds to label a person or a situation hopeless? We and our world are a combination of sin and grace; frailty and power; despair and hope; indifference and passionate concern. Paul wrote Romans to a church that consisted of Jews and gentiles. Hearing his message should have awakened in them an awareness of how all of them, despite their different backgrounds and human limitations, had been recipients of grace. Thus, no individual or group could claim priority or privilege over any one else. Nor could they, or we, consider the book closed on anyone. We might close the book, but God opens it to continue the work of salvation. In Romans, Paul has been saying, in one way or another, what he said in 8: 39-39, “For I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” That’s why Paul is so “turned on” in today’s passage from Romans. During pre-Vatican II days there weren’t many scriptural verses we kids learned in catechism class–maybe two or three. Well, today’s gospel passage contains one of them, “...you are Peter...etc.” Those were pre-ecumenical days when we were still in a defensive/offensive stance. Quoting this statement about Peter and “my church,” was our way of affirming the legitimacy of the papacy and our Catholic church against “those Protestants who broke away from the one true church.” Sorry, that’s just the way it was. We also got an equal amount of prejudice from the other side. Let’s pray those days are behind us. Let’s pray the ecumenism since Vatican II doesn’t falter. Sometimes it feels as if it is. Who wants to go back to those days anyhow? Let’s start with the affirmation Jesus gives Peter. Matthew makes Peter the spokesperson for the early church’s faith, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew wrote about Peter’s faith declaration three decades after Peter’s martyrdom for the faith he is expressing in this passage. But as the gospel narrates the disciples’ journey with Jesus to Jerusalem, we hear about their all-too-human qualities. At the point we are at in today’s gospel, Peter and the disciples are not ready to die for Jesus. But they will be when they experience the resurrection. What Peter is professing today is the faith that he and the early Christians had after they met the risen Jesus. Peter is still in an early stage of discipleship, yet he makes a terrific leap of faith in response to Jesus’ question, “But who do you say I am?” What was the source of Peter’s strong testimony? He certainly wasn’t speaking out of an insight derived from human reasoning; nor what he had learned from others. His faith, Jesus tells him, is a gift of revelation from God. It is this faith that will be the solid foundation for Jesus’ “church.” Peter is the spokesperson for the community that came to believe in the resurrected Christ. Today’s episode, we are told, takes place in the region of Caesarea Philippi. It is pagan territory and it is there that Jesus asks Peter a question about his identity; not in a safe enclosure, a shrine or a religious site. Rather, the faith question is asked in a non-believing milieu. Much like the one in which we modern believers must answer the same question. Our response will not only be in words or in doctrinal formula; we will make the response by how we live and die. Peter’s faith gave him strength to follow Christ all the way to dying like Christ. Legend has it Peter was also crucified. But more so, Peter imitated Christ in his daily dying to himself and living for Christ. It is on faith and example like Peter’s that Christ has built the church. The gospel story has us still in the midst of the disciples’ training period; they are not yet fully formed. A number of times in the gospels we are told the disciples didn’t understand; or that they were confused; or that their hearts were hardened. That was there reality at this stage of their formation with Christ. The resurrection, which empowered the disciples, had not yet happened.They were still in the thick of things, still not seeing clearly. Next Sunday will underline the all-too-frail nature of the disciples’ faith. Once again we will hear Peter speak for the community. Jesus will tell his disciples (16:21-27) that he must go to Jerusalem where he will be killed. Peter shows the other side of discipleship, the non-comprehending side. He responds to Jesus, “God forbid Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” And that’s when Jesus says, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.” They didn’t have us memorize that line in catechism class! And that’s something we will reflect on next Sunday. At liturgy this Sunday we join with Peter and the early community in celebrating what “flesh and blood” has not revealed to us; but God has. We proclaim, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” To proclaim this faith and live the kind of life that reflects it, goes against the “flesh and blood” of the world. A world that opts for self-indulgence not self-sacrifice and individualism not community—like the community we are as a church. Jesus calls the forces lined up against the community he is founding, “the gates of the netherworld.” The revelation that opened Peter’s eyes to see and his tongue to proclaim Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” is our gift as well, as we run into “the gates of the netherworld.” We can see the inscription over these gates: cynicism in dealing with others; despair as we face large issues of violence and war; greed that puts ourselves first on the list; indifference to the pain of others; cowardice when our faith is challenged; conformity when prophetic witness is called for; and lukewarm religious practice that has stalled through neglect, etc. (Here we can pause and name the inscriptions over the netherworld’s gates we are most aware of as we worship this day.) A rock solid faith has been given to us and trusting in the One Peter teaches us to call “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” the gates of the netherworld, in all its shapes and disguises shall not prevail against us.
Justice Notes
These weekly quotes may be helpful in your preaching or may also be added to your weekly parish bulletin as a way of informing your faith community on some social issues. Just Preaching: Prophetic Voices of Economic Justice, edited by Andre Resner, Jr. N. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2003. Paper, ISBN 0-8272-1715-3 Essays and sermons addressing issues of homelessness, poverty and hunger in America. Over twenty distinguished preachers, teachers, administrators and social activists address the topic from various perspectives, some emphasize immediate direct aid and service while others call for larger social change. The book is addressed to preachers as a guide for how to help us move our congregations from service to acts of justice.
Hunger stalks poor children, and even near-poor children, every day. One in three poor households experience “food insecurity,” as do one in four of the near-poor households. The chidren have too little to eat or are not certain that they will be able to eat, because the family lacks enough money. Just imagine not knowing if you will be able to eat at the next mealtime or if you will be able to eat enough to ease your hunger. Hunger’s nagging and relentless ache makes concentrating in school difficult. It stunts the growth of children’s bodies and drains their energy. If your congregation runs or supports a food pantry or soup kitchen, you may know firsthand that requests for emergency food have risen. More than half the people requesting food are children or their parents. Despite an economic downturn, the number of children receiving help from food stamps has dropped over the past decade, in large part because families who have left welfare for work or eligible working families who have never been on welfare do not know what’s available or cannot spend hours filling out application forms in food-stamp offices, and because thousands of legal immigrants lost eligibility in 1996.
—Marian Wright Edelman, “Times of Trouble: The Assault of Poverty on America’s Children,” in Just Preaching..., page 123.
Reflection by Nancy Greenfield
Who do you say that I am? There is a story floating around theological circles that is a slightly different version of this gospel episode. Jesus says to Peter “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers: "You are the MESSIAH”. Emboldened by Jesus’ look of approval he expands: “You are the logos, the Word Incarnate, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.” Warming to his topic, he goes on: “You are the Realization of the Eschaton!” “You”, he continues, “are the bearer and goal of the upward movement of the universe toward the divine. You are the omega point.” “You,” he finishes triumphantly, “You are the decisive and climatic moment in God’s self transcendental communication to mankind!” And Jesus answers “What????” Okay, Okay, so I made that up. But you know, each of those descriptions came out of years, sometimes hundreds of years of trying to figure out just who Jesus is. I guess we could fool around with words for another several hundred years and not nail down the essence of the real Jesus. What we sometimes don’t get is that we aren’t asked to give the theologically perfect answer. However, we are asked, as Christians, to respond to the question. To get back to our story: Peter, the first disciple to call Jesus the Messiah, was demonstrating a revolutionary understanding that the Messiah sent by God was not a king or a military leader but an itinerant preacher with no money or power at all. This Messiah was not sent by God to destroy the Romans, vindicate the Jews and give them back autonomy over their land. Instead he came to “bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to release prisoners and to announce a year of favor from the Lord”. Now in many ways, Peter, especially the pre-resurrection Peter, was a flawed individual: impulsive, ambitious, sometimes even prone to violence. What did Jesus see in him? I think there are two things: First, Peter understood, even if a bit dimly, that Jesus’ main message was that God’s ways are different from the ways of humanity, and that Jesus, through his unique relationship to God, was sent to proclaim God’s kingdom. A kingdom where the rule of competition and force is replaced by the rule of compassion and love. Jesus’ whole life was testimony to the heart of God. A heart that forgives, that cares, that reaches out and wants to heal. Secondly, what Jesus saw in Peter, despite his many flaws, was a heart big enough to encompass all of humanity. Peter had the capacity to love and to care. In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes concrete this love with the command to “feed my lambs, feed my sheep”. It was not enough for Peter to say the right words. Peter had to respond when Jesus entrusted his fledgling group of followers to him. The cost, as we learn in the Acts of the Apostles, was enormous! Jesus called on Peter to lead this community of followers, which eventually became what we call the Church, in bringing about a kingdom of justice and peace in tumultuous and difficult times. Peter became the embodiment of generosity, forgiveness and compassion for his flock of believers strung across the eastern Mediterranean. Peter’s way of being church can be the ideal model for our church throughout the ages. Our church, with all its flaws, and there are many, has stood out as a refuge for those who had nowhere else to go. Without ignoring the excesses of extravagance that existed throughout our Church’s history, we must acknowledge the Church’s call to deal with both the effects of the causes of injustice, cruelty, poverty and war. In recent years, this has become a clarion call and a definitive mission for the entire church: In his first encyclical, “God is Love”, Pope Benedict puts service to the poor and love of neighbor on the same level as the administration of the sacraments and the proclamation of the Word. That’s pretty serious! We are called to share in the compassionate work of our present Church to alleviate suffering whether it be in East Africa, or East Palo Alto, to feed those starving because of war, drought, economic uncertainty and the cruelty of others. To bring food security and medical help to those least able to access it themselves. Organizations such as Catholic Worker, or St Anthony’s Dining Room on a local level, or Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services on a national and an international level, invite us as individuals and as Church to share in creating the kingdom that Jesus envisioned when he said to Peter: I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom”. But the real questions we must ask ourselves are: Who is Jesus for me? Do I really believe that Jesus speaks for God? Once you decide, as Peter did, that Jesus speaks for God, then you have to take seriously what he says. And these are some of the things Jesus had to say about God’s kingdom, about God’s will:
Blessed are the Poor
Woe to you rich
Forgive your brother seventy times seven
Do good to those who hurt you
Stop judging, that you may not be judged
You cannot serve God and money
I desire mercy, not sacrifice
Do not store for yourselves treasures on earth
Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. If we take Jesus seriously, then, like Peter, we are going to have to change our way of looking at how we do things, as ndividuals, as members of a church community, as citizens of the world. We each must come face to face with the mystery of Jesus and in the attempt to define Jesus we will define ourselves (adapted from Leonardo Boff). So who is Jesus for me? I have to admit that the answer has been different depending on what was going on in my life at the time and what God wanted me to understand. At this moment, Jesus is for me the model of the compassion of God. He not only preached compassion, but he lived it. He turned his attention to the poor, the outcast, those in sorrow and those without hope. And I am called to do the same, in my own limited and imperfect way. Compassion, in the words of Henri Nouwen, asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion, I think, also requires more than emotion. It requires action. It requires us to try to make the situation better through generosity, through sweat equity, and through examining and working to change unjust political and economic structures which have led to so much suffering in the first place. At some point, like Peter, I am called to answer Jesus’ question for myself. And the answer that I give will largely determine not just how I think about God and Jesus, but how I order my life—what matters, what doesn’t, who matters, who doesn’t. It means conforming my life to the life of Christ. It’s not an easy task, I will fail at it a lot, and the world may never understand what I am doing. But it’s the only way I know of to respond to the question: “Who do you say that I am?”
ENCOUNTER CHRIST REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS
Preparation for the Session
(Adaped from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025)
Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. (1-2 minutes of silence)
Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. (1-2 minutes of silence)
Consciousness: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)
Opening Prayer
(Adapted from “Sacred Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits)
You put the same question to me, Lord: “Who do you say that I am?” As I pray about your question, your own words echo in me: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”. In times of trouble for me and for the world around me, let your promise, and my faith in that promise sustain me O Lord.
Companions for the Journey
From Jude Siciiano, O.P., in “First Impressions”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province: When Jesus asked Peter, "But who do you say that I am?" he wasn't asking Peter to recite a series of doctrines about his identity. He wasn't inviting him to recite the Nicene Creed we recite at Sunday Mass. That would come later when the Christian community had to address questions that had developed among its communities and when church teaching was challenged in the new lands where it had spread. The creeds and formulas would be necessary—but later. No, Jesus was not asking Peter to work out a christological formula. That's clear from the beginning of the question, "But you...?" Jesus was inviting Peter to express his own faith. Does he believe in Jesus and what does he believe about Jesus? From his experience of Jesus and through the gift of God's grace, Peter has come to know that Jesus is the revelation of God to the world. He articulates what the church has come to believe about Christ. The articles of that faith will be developed and taught to inquirers: but first comes Peter, expressing his faith and the faith of the first generation Christians. Other followers of Christ will have to answer the same question and pass on that faith to their children and those to whom they preach. They will announce to anyone who will listen—who Jesus is and what difference he made in their lives. The creeds will emerge, but the teachings will have little meaning if people have not, in one way or another, answered the question Jesus asks us today, "But who do YOU say that I am?" Jesus isn't just asking us if we go to church on Sunday; if we send out children to religious education classes or say grace before meals. First of all, he invites us to acknowledge our belief in him and to bear witness to his love and manner of living in the world. Those who know us usually can detect our preferences. If we say we are big Atlanta Braves fans but never watch a game, wear a team insignia or know who plays first base—people will begin to wonder. If we say we love to read, but all we talk about at social gatherings are the evening TV shows and soaps—people will begin to wonder. If we say we are very concerned about the environment, but never recycle, drive a gas guzzler and keep all the lights on in our homes—people will begin to wonder. If we say we are Christians, yet there is little that signifies Jesus has made any difference in our lives—people will begin to wonder. If we insist our children must go to church with us, but at home they hear us use racial slurs, utter stereotypical comments about the poor and immigrants and gossip about people in our church—our children will begin to wonder: "Are my parents (grandparents, uncles or aunts) really Christians, or do they just go to church?" "But who do you say I am?" Jesus asks us today. What response to the question does our life reveal to those observers around us? Jesus' question isn't just asked of us as individuals. It is posed to our church as well. If our Christian community fits comfortably into the society around it; never raises an objection to public discriminatory policies; never speaks up to represent those who have little power or no voice; welcomes only those who look and act like the established members; is more fussy about ritual and decorum and less concerned about newcomers and how to welcome them and incorporate them into our community and its rituals, then when Jesus asks us, "Church, who do you say that I am?" in reality our answer is, "You are an admirable leader and teacher and a good role model—and that's it." Peter voiced the faith the early church had in Jesus. It was to be the message they proclaimed, "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God." Those who accepted that message professed their faith in God's unique presence and revelation manifested in Christ. In accepting Jesus as "the Son of the living God," and receiving the grace God offered them in Christ, they agreed to change their ways. Jesus was more than a role model for believers. In him God offered humanity the grace to live Christ's life of love and service—especially to serve those Jesus served, the least in the eyes of society. In response to Jesus' initial question, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" Peter responds, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." People may have had differing opinions, but they seem to have agree that they saw Jesus in the line of the great prophets. His words and life had revealed to them that he must be speaking with the authority of God. High praise indeed! But Jesus disregards those opinions and asks the question more directly to his disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" The faith Peter and the disciples come to profess in Christ should not be kept to themselves. They must not form a secretive and isolated sect that will strive to avoid contamination from the world. Quite the opposite. Peter speaks the faith of the post-resurrection church. This is the faith Jesus will send them out to proclaim. Peter will bear the keys, like Eliakim in our first reading, who carried "the key of the House of David." Peter will have the mission of stewardship to lead the early church by his preaching, teaching, example and his ultimate martyrdom. Peter's faith will be accepted by many and those who profess it will be strengthened as they face persecution; the long wait for Jesus' return; internal conflicts that would shake the church to its foundation, and pastoral disputes. Peter and the disciples will be instructed to do as Jesus did for them; to be a servant church and wash the feet of others. Their task will be to lead others to accept Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God," and to sustain and serve the community as its members attempt to live out the faith in the One they profess. Jesus said he would build his church on rock. Sometimes it feels that the church is less on rock and more on sand. We have all sorts of divisions that distract our energies and create an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust. It doesn't feel like a rock-solid church, does it? A quick survey of our history reminds us that we aren't going through anything those before us didn't also go through in one way or another. From the very beginning we have had both saints and sinners among our popes, bishops, priests, religious and laity. At times it is very discouraging. At those low moments, when we feel our dreams and ideals are under siege, we might want to repeat as a mantra what Jesus promised, "...the gates of the nether world shall not prevail against it." We give praise today that, despite our less-than stellar performance as the people of God, Christ has not abandoned us. We can praise God today for the prophetic leaders we have had in our past and have today who: speak out against war and the death penalty; defend all life; protect the rights of those displaced by famine and civil war; provide shelter for the homeless and abused, etc. In our church, while there are signs of our shaky faith, there are also ample reminders that Christ is very much with his church. Just as he promised he would be.
Living the Good News
What action can you take in the next week as a response to today's reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions which follow.
Reflection Questions:
Has anyone ever asked you for an opinion on something and you at first responded with what the world suggests, or with what authorities are recommending?
Why was it hard to state your own opinion?
Like the disciples in this story, we tend to undervalue “heroes” from our own present time in favor of those from times past. Who are my “heroes”?
What does my current culture say about Jesus?
What does my Church say about Jesus?
What do I say when Jesus asks me the question in my heart?
What is Jesus to me?
How difficult is it for me to rely on my own relationship with Jesus to answer these questions?
How do I live out my answer?
Belief is expressed not only in words, but in behavior. What do I believe about Jesus?
What do my actions and attitudes say about what I believe?
In the text there are many opinions concerning Jesus and several ways of expressing faith. Today, also there are many diverse opinions concerning Jesus. Which are the opinions of our own CC@S community concerning Jesus?
In this coming academic year, we are called to reflect and act on what we as a community believe Jesus stands for.
What mission results for us from this?
What qualities might Jesus see in me?
What title might he give me?
Will it take time for me to grow into his mission?
Recall a time when you were entrusted with a serious responsibility. How did you feel?
A biblical scholar said; The “Rock” is not Peter; it is Peter’s faith” on which Jesus built his Church. What do you think this means?
From Daniel J Harrington, S.J.:
What ironies are involved in Jesus’ calling Simon the “rock”?
When and how did Peter become the rock on which the church is built?
Is it because of his strengths or because of his weaknesses, or both?
Peter was given power and authority. How do you interpret that power in practical terms?
What are the downsides of that power?
In what ways have the successors of Peter lived out the imperative given by Jesus?
Who is your favorite pope?
Why?
Had he made mistakes?
Who is your least favorite pope?
Why?
Had he made mistakes?
What do you consider the authority of the Catholic Church concerning sin and forgiveness?
Someone else cannot answer life’s critical questions for us. Have I ever abdicated my own responsibility for formulating answers for myself—in other words, have I relied too excessively on religious or civil authorities, on “experts” or on friends and relatives?
How have I made use of the advice or guidance others have given me and how has that advice impacted my decision making?
Closing Prayer
Don’t forget to provide some prayer time at the beginning and at the end of the session (or both), allowing time to offer prayers for anyone you wish to pray for. (Found on the internet for the feast of St. John Chrysostum)
Holy Father, send Your Divine Enlightener into the hearts of all Your faithful, filling us with the strength to fulfil our mission as the followers of the Chair of St Peter. And most of all, we pray Lord Holy God, to inspire and light the way of our Holy Father, Leo. Sustain and guide him, keep him in health and strength, to lead Your people by the Light of the Way and the Truth. Holy Father, have mercy on us, Holy Spirit guide and lead us, Lord Jesus Christ be our intercessor and teacher, amen.
FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
Weekly Memorization
Taken from the gospel for today's session:
Who do YOU say that I am?
Meditations
A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions (Adapted from “First Impressions”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province) Only in Matthew’s Gospel is the word “ekklesia” found. It literally means the “called-out gathering.” The “called community” was formed by the earthly Jesus to continue his work. The “ekklesia” focuses on Jesus’ identity and authority, not on Peter’s. The church is not simply about a future world, but about being signs of the kingdom’s presence here and now. As Jesus proclaimed, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand. .” Jesus’ question: “Who do you say that I am?” will define who I am; how I live; what I do; whom I become in my life.” I take some time to answer carefully this very question Jesus was asking of his disciples. Our individual responses to Jesus’ question will, of course, bind us more profoundly to Him. They will, in turn, bind us more closely to one another so that we will not only give an individual, but also a communal witness to Christ -- for we are the “ekklesia,” “the called out gathering,” called to effectively impact our world, so that others might be stirred to ask us important questions too, like: “Who do you say Jesus is?” “What does he mean to you?” How would I or my church answer them?
A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination: (From “Sacred Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits) Suppose that Jesus suddenly put his question to me in my prayer today, what would I say? Let me be honest with him, no matter if I feel ashamed of what I come up with. Jesus reads my heart long before I speak. Perhaps he then invites me to chat with Peter, who getst the formula right in this scene, but in other places tries to argue Jesus out of his passion, making Jesus so angry as to call him ‘Satan’. Peter also in a little while will deny that he even knows Jesus! But Lord, let me see that Peter’s weakness is the making of him: he finally learns not to trust in himself but in you alone. After the resurrection when you question him, he is honest in saying; You know that I love you’. And that is enough. Let his example help me to learn your forgiving love through my weaknesses and let me love you ever more deeply.
A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions: (From “Faith Book”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province) Peter got it right. Jesus is the Messiah, the one who had come to liberate not only those enslaved by Rome, but all who are poor and oppressed. His liberating power was handed on to Peter and his companions and is our responsibility today. We are to loose those who are bound and to bind the powers of those who threaten the freedom of God’s children in any way.
So we ask ourselves:
What do I need to ask Jesus to liberate me from?
How can I help another experience a similar liberation?
A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action: Not just Peter, but all of those disciples were the early church. I am not just a follower of the Church, I am Church. Do I speak and serve in love? Do I reflect the face of Christ to others? I plan one or two ways this week to proclaim Christ to a loved one. I plan one or two ways this week to serve a stranger in Christ’s name. I make a resolution to follow through on my plans.
Poetic Reflection
How does the following poem by Rev Ed Ingreretzen, S.J., illustrate the difficulty of responding to the questions: “Who do You say that I am”?
Lonely Christ
Lonely Christ
I pray to you.
You are a puzzle to me
as those I love
always are.
My soul is at odds
with the words.
What mad reach of mine
touches any thread of you?
Or what of mine, arms or eyes,
ever shares with people
where they may lie—
as they always do—
in a hard place!
What of mine shall make good
their taking of a breath,
their rising, caring, feeding
their sleeping in fear—
what shall make good
their slight faith,
their enormous promises
made in iron
for a child, man, a woman—
what of mine shall be with the people
as they caress a special grief
fondled again and again
In bludgeoned love?
What do I bring
with which to clutch
the merest hint of your shadow?
