August 23, 2026
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 22:19-23 | Romans 11:33-36 | Matthew 16:13-20
Who could have imagined what would happen one seemingly ordinary day as Jesus and his disciples conversed in the area of Caesarea Philippi, a place known for the worship of many gods?
Today’s verses from St. Matthew’s gospel capture an intimate and clarifying check-in between Jesus and his disciples, necessary for what was to come. Did the disciples truly know whom they followed, and why? They had already sought Jesus out, moved with him from place to place, witnessed him at prayer and performing miracles, questioned him about things he did and said and risked former relationships and ways of living … and still they followed. Who was this Jesus who moved their hearts? Who was the unseen father Jesus spoke of?
It was still a period of preparation, a clarifying time for something unknown and undefined.
Like a good teacher, Jesus asked questions. “Do you understand …? What do you think …? Do you know …? Do you love me?” Jesus was continually ensuring that the inheritance of God’s enduring mercy and love be personally known by those who would pass it on.
“Who do people say that I am? Who do you say that I am?” Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the one, long-awaited Messiah came forth. His profession is a profound point of passage, knowing who Jesus is. How utterly humbling to be addressed by name, as Simon was, and called blessed by Jesus. Their exchange is a glimpse into the mystery of hearts, bound with trust and faith beyond understanding. It’s what made and makes commitment to the journey possible. It’s for mission – so that the enduring and ever-creating divine love lives on.
Who can anticipate where and when Jesus may pose such poignant questions again, and to us! It’s the attention we pay to and exchange with others that allows a truthful response. Do we know “people,” and even the longings and beliefs of the ones closest to us? How much engagement do we have, in order to understand and appreciate the underpinnings of lives, cultures, history, pains, traumas, joys, dreams, values, beliefs? People. Relationships loosened and held bound.
Might this same seemingly simple question, of who people say Jesus is, shift for us? Can we consider those whom we choose not to know, holding them captive in previous experiences, believing hearsay, fortified with prejudices and fears? There might be rich connective lineage and common longings for mercy and peace and the Holy One. What are we willing to risk for the shared heritage of love?
Jesus’ second question is who we think he is. Where and when have you heard this yourself? How do you know that it really is Jesus asking? Responses might be a turned deaf ear, delayed answers, honest unknowing, silence — or risking feeble, tender words to wanting and waiting-to-know Jesus. Are we willing to be called blessed, entrusted, and sent by I AM? Believing-in-us and faithful Jesus will surely ask again.
Sometime last year, a web of folks were asked to pray for and support a young wife and mother from Latin America after she was taken by ICE and detained in a center far from her family. Her identity in “the system” was no longer her own endeared name but an “A number,” her alien identification. Months have slid by — with silence, legal papers, daring to entrust her story to unknown lawyers, hearings, raised and dashed hopes, and more and more waiting.
A few weeks ago, two people from our support network were able to visit the young woman in the ICE facility. She spoke guardedly of conditions there, and of missing her family and important events for her children. When asked how time passes, she said that she knows God has a plan for her in that time and place. Somehow, she manages to gather other detained women to pray and share Bible stories, commenting that some women know nothing of the Bible or God. She is happy to share what she knows and believes and how God is with her.
What experience and words of mercy, hope, faith and love are others receiving from her? Right where she is, in the midst of this sad and unsuspected stop on her life’s journey, she responds so personally to “Who do you say that I am?” Even if she must whisper, the message is loud enough for others to hear. How is it that she knows “I AM” sent her with courage and the fire of love to cast light into darkness? Because of her, others may hear that same question, too, of Jesus asking, “Who do you say that I am?”
Caesarea Philippi was only one stop on the journey to Jerusalem with an intimate and clarifying exchange between Jesus and the disciples. It was preparation time for what is to come. So much has already become from the time of Jesus. The world has drastically and painfully changed. Many “gods” of hate, greed, power and disregard for all forms of life surround us. Where are we on this journey in the universe, and what enduring foundations for God’s mission of eternal and evolving love are we called and blessed for?
Maryknoll Sister Janet Hockman, an educator and pastoral minister, served in mission in the Marshall Islands and Nepal and in congregational positions in Chicago and Maryknoll, New York. She is presently the community coordinator for the Maryknoll Sisters in Monrovia, California.
To read other Scripture reflections published by the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, click here.
Feature image: A detained woman sits inside a vehicle surrounded by federal agents in Minneapolis Jan. 21, 2026. (OSV News/Leah Millis, Reuters)
