Homily For The 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. August 23, 2026
“Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you.” –St. Thomas Aquinas
Sunday Readings
Who Is Jesus Christ to You? Peter’s Confession of Faith and the Mystery of Christ
Introduction: Who Is Jesus Christ to Me?
My Dearest Friends,
Welcome to another moment of encounter with Christ and of deepening our knowledge of who He is. Guided by the Holy Spirit, who enlightens our minds and hearts, we grow in our knowledge of God through His divinely inspired Word.
On this 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, the readings invite us to examine our faith and ask ourselves two very personal and important questions:
Who is Jesus Christ to me? What kind of relationship do I have with Him?
These questions lead us directly to the question Jesus posed to His disciples: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).
Our answer reveals whether our knowledge of Christ is based merely on public opinion, what others have told us, or on a personal encounter with Him through faith and Divine Revelation.
At certain moments in our lives, it is important to ask fundamental questions about our identity because our identity is closely connected to our mission. Jesus’ identity as the Christ, meaning the Anointed One of God or the Messiah, reveals the very heart of His mission. To know who Jesus is, therefore, is to begin to understand why He came and what He calls us to become.
Many Are Acquainted with Jesus but Do Not Truly Know Him
As we see with Christ’s disciples, even close acquaintances may still fail to understand who someone truly is. The same can happen in our relationship with Jesus.
Many people today are experiencing an identity crisis because they have not discovered who they truly are. This can lead to confusion, imitation, and even absurdity as people attempt to become what they see in others rather than discovering the identity and purpose God has given them.
Some people are deeply misunderstood because those around them do not recognize their true identity or mission.
Had Jesus not asked His disciples who people believed Him to be, and had Peter not responded under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, speculation about Jesus’ identity would have continued without resolution.
This Gospel passage is therefore foundational to Christology—the theological study of the identity and person of Jesus Christ—and to Catholic theology. The central question is not simply what people say about Jesus but whether we personally recognize Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Public Opinion vs. Personal Knowledge of Jesus
“Who Do People Say the Son of Man Is?”
Jesus first asked His disciples:
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
The disciples responded with the various opinions circulating among the people: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
There was clearly a positive public opinion about Jesus. People respected Him as a prophet and recognized that something extraordinary was happening through His words and works. Yet their understanding was incomplete.
Jesus had been carefully preparing His disciples to continue His mission. They had listened to His teachings, witnessed His miracles, and lived alongside Him. What they believed about Him was therefore critical. In the same way, what we believe about Jesus determines the nature of our relationship with Him.
There are many public opinions about Christ in our world today. Some popular preachers, influenced by worldly values, have presented an image of Jesus that is unbiblical, incomplete, or misleading. Christ is sometimes presented almost exclusively as a provider of material prosperity and miracles, while the demands of discipleship, holiness, self-denial, sacrifice, and carrying the cross are minimized.
I do not know what the public has led you to believe about Jesus Christ. I do not know what kind of relationship you have with Him. But today’s Gospel reminds us that Jesus is more than a prophet. He is Christos—the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God, and the Son of the living God.
As Jesus Himself teaches, true worship must be offered “in Spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
Who Is Jesus Christ to You? From Public Opinion to Personal Faith
Jesus then asks the question that changes everything:
“But who do you say that I am?”
This is no longer a question about public opinion. It is a question about personal faith, personal encounter, and personal relationship with Christ.
The messianic identity and divine nature of Jesus cannot be fully discovered through human reasoning alone. They are revealed by God. St. Paul reminds us that no one can truly confess Jesus as Lord except through the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3).
Peter’s confession did not come merely from intellectual brilliance. His insight was a gift of Divine Revelation.
Peter answered:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
This is the confession upon which Christian faith rests.
What people—or even influential religious voices—tell you about Jesus may differ from what Christ reveals about Himself through Scripture, Tradition, and the teaching of the Church. Public opinion can be biased, incomplete, or prejudiced. A genuine encounter with Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, leads us beyond information about Jesus to faith in Jesus.
Our religious practices should therefore lead us toward deeper communion with God. The ultimate goal is not merely to know about God but to know God personally and live in divine intimacy with Him.
Studying Jesus Is Not the Same as Knowing Jesus
It is possible to study theology and still fail to develop a personal relationship with God. Reading books about Jesus can provide intellectual knowledge, but intellectual knowledge alone does not necessarily produce spiritual conviction or faith.
St. Bonaventure captures this beautifully:
“If you learn everything except Christ, you learn nothing. If you learn nothing except Christ, you learn everything.”
Peter’s understanding of Jesus was not the result of a scientific deduction or intellectual exercise. It came through Divine Revelation. His understanding was a gift from God.
The question for each of us, therefore, is simple but profound:
Do I truly know Jesus Christ, or do I merely know about Him?
Peter’s Confession of Faith and the Meaning of “Rock”
Peter’s confession led Jesus to give him a new name and a special role:
“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.”
The name Peter is related to the Aramaic Kepha and the Greek words Petros and petra, associated with the meaning of rock.
The Church’s ultimate foundation is Christ Himself, the true Rock and cornerstone (cf. Psalm 18:2). Peter’s confession of faith, however, becomes foundational to the visible structure and unity of the Church.
The Church stands firmly upon Christ and upon the apostolic faith that confesses Him as the Son of the living God. Because Christ is the foundation, the gates of Hades shall not prevail against His Church.
The Church therefore does not rest upon the personality, intelligence, or holiness of any individual human being. She rests upon Christ and the truth He has revealed.
The Keys of the Kingdom and Authority in the Catholic Church
Jesus continues:
“I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
The image of the keys has a significant connection with the First Reading from Isaiah 22:22, where God says concerning Eliakim:
“I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one will shut, and what he shuts, no one will open.”
Eliakim was appointed as a steward of the house of David and entrusted with significant authority. Against this background, Jesus’ giving of the keys to Peter signifies a particular responsibility and authority within the community He is establishing.
The authority to bind and loose is closely connected to the Church’s mission of teaching, governing, and administering God’s mercy. This authority does not originate independently in Peter, the bishops, or priests. It comes from Christ.
The Church’s ministry of reconciliation, particularly through the Sacrament of Penance, should therefore be taken seriously. Through this sacrament, Christ continues to offer His mercy and forgiveness to repentant sinners through the ministry of His Church.
St. John Paul II beautifully described confession as:
“An act of honesty and courage—an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.”
Peter received a particular role among the Apostles, while Christ entrusted authority to the apostolic college as a whole. In Catholic teaching, this apostolic authority continues through the bishops in communion with the Pope, the successor of Peter. Priests participate in Christ’s priesthood and exercise their sacramental ministry in communion with their bishops.
The Catholic Church Is Founded on Christ and Divine Truth
God established His Church upon the foundation of Christ and the truth He has revealed. The Church is not merely a human institution; she is a living reality animated by the Holy Spirit.
The Catholic Church teaches that Christ founded the Church and that the Church belongs to Him. She is called to preserve, teach, and faithfully transmit the truth entrusted to her.
This is why the Church teaches the doctrine of papal infallibility in a precise and limited sense: when the Pope, as supreme teacher of all the faithful, definitively proclaims a doctrine concerning faith or morals that is to be held by the whole Church, he is preserved from error by the assistance of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that everything a Pope says or does is infallible.
It pains me when people believe that the Catholic Church deliberately deceives her members through her teachings. Some have left the Church because of such convictions, while others have eventually returned after discovering that what they had believed about the Church was incomplete or mistaken.
We should therefore pray for the grace to understand these sacred mysteries with humility and to allow the Holy Spirit to deepen our faith.
The Church Is a Living Body Animated by the Holy Spirit
The Church is a living reality animated by God. She is the sacramental presence of Christ in the world and continues the mission entrusted to her by Christ.
The Church belongs to Christ. We are not its owners. We are stewards, servants, disciples, and children of God, with Christ as our Head and God as our Father.
Our task is not merely to defend an institution but to encounter Christ, remain faithful to His truth, and help others discover Him.
The question Jesus asked Peter is also addressed personally to every one of us:
“But who do you say that I am?”
Our answer should not merely be something we repeat from a catechism, a homily, or a book. It should become the confession of a transformed life.
Conclusion: Know Christ, Confess Christ, and Live in Christ
My dear friends, today’s Gospel challenges us to move from public opinion to personal faith, from knowing about Jesus to knowing Jesus, and from intellectual knowledge to a living relationship with Christ.
Jesus is not merely a prophet, a miracle worker, a teacher, or a source of material blessings. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Messiah, and the Savior of the world.
May the Holy Spirit give us the grace to recognize Jesus for who He truly is. May He deepen our knowledge of Christ, strengthen our faith in the teachings of the Church, and lead us into a deeper experience of divine intimacy.
And may we, like Peter, have the courage and grace to confess with our whole lives:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Amen
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2026)