[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, August 23, 2026, the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time.
This week's episode is entitled: Who Am I? because these readings challenge us to make up our own minds about Jesus and the Church he established. Peter makes a profound statement of faith in this week's Gospel, and while we certainly hope that we would do the same, we have to search our deepest thoughts and feelings to decide if that hope is justified.
[00:00:53] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
When Jesus asks the disciples to share the gossip circulating about him, he gets some interesting answers. But then Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is. We have the Bible, we have the Church, we have the Sacraments - armed with all of that, we must each answer that same question ourselves. So, who do we say that Jesus is?
[00:01:27] Let's begin in prayer:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the gift of your Son and for the salvation that he obtained for us through his Passion, Death and Resurrection. Help us to be ever faithful to him as our Lord and Savior, to you his Eternal Father and our Heavenly Father, and to the Holy Spirit that proceeds from you and your Son to give us life and strengthen us to witness our faith to the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:02:07] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures. Our Gospel this week is from Matthew 16: 13-20.
[00:02:19] “When Jesus came into the district of Caesare’a Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do men say that the Son of man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli’jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.”
[00:03:32] Jesus and his disciples have been doing a lot of walking! Last week, we heard that they were in the coastal areas of Tyre and Sidon, then - in verses omitted by the Lectionary - we learn that they returned to the Sea of Galilee, before heading to the place where we find them this week - Caesarea Philippi… a city about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee and 30 miles due west of Tyre… so, a lot of walking!
[00:04:09] And while the Gospels all highlight Peter's preeminence among the disciples, this event defines that role explicitly. So, let's join Jesus and his disciples on their journey.
“When Jesus came into the district of Caesare’a Philippi,”
I have pictures of Caesarea Philippi from my trip to Israel, and I will post them on my Instagram account this week, along with a map showing the locations of the various places Jesus and his disciples stopped.
[00:04:48] “[Jesus] asked his disciples, ‘Who do men say that the Son of man is?’”
[00:04:55] In other words, Jesus is asking… what's the gossip? What have you heard about me?
“And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist,’”
Now that may seem strange because we often think of John the Baptist as being a contemporary of Jesus, but John the Baptist had had actually already been executed by Herod. And if we think back a few weeks, we heard that news already.
[00:05:21] “others say Eli’jah,”
That is significant in that Jews believed that Elijah's return would herald the coming of the Messiah… since the Jewish people did not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, they are still awaiting the return of Elijah and, the coming of a messiah. And in the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi predicted that Elijah would return before the “great and terrible” day of the Lord, the Day of Judgment.
“and others Jeremiah”
That is a very common comparison for biblical scholars to make, so it's not surprising that contemporaries of Jesus would make that same comparison. Jesus was young, just as Jeremiah was young; he preached an unpopular message, just as Jeremiah did; and Jesus was rejected by the Jewish religious authorities, as was Jeremiah.
“or one of the prophets.”
In other words, the disciples report to Jesus that the rumors circulating about him indicate that he probably speaks for God, but they just aren't convinced about much beyond that at this point in time.
“[Jesus] said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’”
And this is really THE most important question, isn't it? Other than Mary and Joseph, the disciples are the ones who have spent the greatest amount of time with Jesus, they've heard him teach in parables to the crowds and explain the meaning of those parables to them in private, they have shared meals with him, they have traveled with him, seen him perform miraculous deeds - they have had the singular privilege to experience both the public and the private Jesus… so what conclusion have they reached?
Jesus asks us the very same question… we who have access to his words and deeds as recorded in Sacred Scripture, we who are part of the Church he established, we who have access to the Sacraments, who do we say that Jesus is?
[00:08:00] And not just in the silence of our hearts, but we should imagine - if at all possible - that Jesus is standing before us and asking that very question of each one of us. So, we can't equivocate, we can't hedge our bets, we can't avoid the question or evade the answer… with Jesus standing before us asking: “Who am I?” - what would we say?
[00:08:35] “Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”
I know I've said this before, but those are two different declarations. Christ, or Christos, is the Greek word for Messiah, meaning God's anointed one. But then Peter adds: “the Son of the living God” which is a different role, a singular identity, a unique relationship to God who is in heaven. Now, in all fairness, Peter's answer also reflected Jewish Old Testament tradition which held that Israel's king, who was also anointed (so a type of anointed one) was also considered to have a unique relationship with God (a type of familial sonship). But Jesus’ next words indicate that this is not Peter simply spouting the accepted Jewish thought of the time.
“Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’”
Bar-Jona means son of Jonah… Jewish society was patriarchal, and a man's identity was derived from his father, whereas a woman's identity was derived either from her father or from her husband.
[00:10:20] And when Jesus says that Simon is blessed, he explains that such blessing came in the form of special revelation from God, which enabled Peter to answer Jesus’ question in the very manner that he did.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
Jesus explains that Simon was not only the first disciple he called, but that he is also now the first in understanding… that Simon was the one gifted by God with the knowledge of Jesus’ divine identity, precisely so that he could make that announcement to his fellow disciples. Jesus then cements Simon's preeminence by changing his name to Peter and delegating to him the unique position of being the one upon whom Jesus will establish and build his Church… that Peter will be the foundation, the rock, upon which Jesus' Church will rest. Peter's new identity will frame and inform his mission in the Church, and his mission will reinforce his identity… and not just Peter - during his lifetime - but down throughout the history of the Church.
[00:12:13] And by the way, this is the first time that the word Church appears in the Scriptures. It comes from the Greek word: ecclesia - meaning to be called out, and that word - in turn - is derived from two other Greek words: ek - meaning out of, and kaleo - meaning to call. So, we who are members of the Church, we are called out of our old existence, out of our old way of thinking, out of our old way of living, into a new existence within the Church, based upon the person and teachings of Jesus and administered by Peter and his successors - the popes - down through the ages. And Jesus also says that the gates of Hades will not prevail against this Church, meaning that the powers of deception and death will not be able to overcome the Church Jesus will establish.
[00:13:33] I will include some photos in this week's Instagram post that should help supply context for Jesus’ words. There is a cave at Caesarea Philippi that was often called the gates of Hades. So, Jesus is not only telling Peter that his authority will keep the gates of Hades - the gates of hell - closed, he is doing so in sight of what was considered at that time to be those very gates. But Jesus doesn't even stop there, he goes on to say…
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
We need to keep in mind that keys - in the Old Testament - were considered to be symbols of authority… authority that was intended to be passed down from one person to another. And we will actually read about that in this week's First Reading from Isaiah.
And Catholic Christians also see - in those words - the institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (or Confession), the Sacrament where sins may either be forgiven or not forgiven. Forgiveness and absolution are the preferred outcome, but not foregone conclusions when one approaches the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Catholic Christians also recognize that the authority Jesus conferred upon Peter continues to be passed on through Peter's successors, the popes, that have guided the Church down through the centuries and continue to guide her today.
[00:15:54] And while Jesus' words absolutely did confer spiritual authority, they also established teaching and juridical authority. The authority to make and declare “binding” decisions regarding the Catholic faith, and the authority to include or exclude members of the Church - in other words, to oversee the conferral of Sacraments which welcome new members into the Church, or to declare excommunications in those rare instances when only the most severe censure is appropriate.
What we often do not understand about excommunication is that full communion can be restored… but the most extreme repentance is required before full communion with the Church can be restored - if it can be restored. The authority to restore full communion in cases of excommunication rests almost exclusively with bishops and popes.
“Then [Jesus] strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.”
That's one of those instances where we kind of stop and scratch our head and say - wait, what? What do you mean?
But Jesus has a real underlying and important purpose for those words. Jesus does not want his reputation as a wonder worker to grow any further than it already had. And he doesn't want to become known as just another revolutionary opposing Roman occupation. Both of those things were circulating about Jesus at the time. Jesus wanted those who chose to follow him to be motivated by faith in him, not Israeli nationalism or Old Testament messianic expectations - the expectations of a conquering hero. So, he instructs his disciples to keep Peter's words to themselves… for now.
[00:18:30] And while the disciples probably did keep those words to themselves at the time, thankfully they didn't always do so. Thankfully, some of them wrote directly about their time with Jesus, while others shared their recollections with those who later recorded them. Those writings have come down to us as the Gospels.
[00:18:56] So, we do have access to the words of the disciples, to their memories of Jesus, to their time with Jesus. And those writings provide us the witness we need to know Jesus. We can - and should - read the Gospels… we can - and should - read the entire Bible… we can worship within the Church Jesus established… we can receive the Sacraments that bestow God's grace upon us.
But each of us still must answer the question… who do we say that Jesus is?
[00:19:52] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Isaiah 221: 19-23.
[00:20:01] “[Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace:] ‘I will thrust you from your office, and you will be cast down from your station. In that day I will call my servant Eli’akim the son of Hilki’ah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your belt on him, and will commit your authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house.’”
[00:21:02] Last week we heard from 3rd Isaiah (chapters 56 to 66); this week we hear from 1st Isaiah (chapters 1 to 39). They were written by the original prophet Isaiah before the Babylonian captivity. This passage contains only half of the message the Lord instructed Isaiah to speak to Shebna, who was chief steward under King Hezekiah. We need some additional background though, in order to understand exactly what is happening.
[00:21:44] Shebna had become quite corrupt and self-serving during his time in Hezekiah's service, he had done a great deal more to enrich himself and prepare for his own
post-service future than he had done to promote the welfare of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. And by this time, God is fed up with Shebna… so, he sent Isaiah to tell Shebna that he was done - that his service was no longer needed. Now, the words we don't hear - the words in the first half of God's message - are actually quite entertaining!
Isaiah told Shebna that God would seize him, whirl him round and round, and throw him like a ball into the wilderness. And while those words may seem almost cartoonish to us, God was deadly serious!
[00:22:53] So, let's listen to the second part of God's message….
“[Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace:] ‘I will thrust you from your office,’”
From his place as chief steward to the king
“and you will be cast down from your station.”
His place in society
“In that day I will call my servant Eli’akim the son of Hilki’ah,”
When God refers to Eliakim as his servant, he means that Eliakim is faithful to God as Shebna no longer is… and that Eliakim will serve the king - King Hezekiah - selflessly as a good chief steward, rather than selfishly as Shebna has been doing.
“and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your belt on him,”
The robe and belt are outward, visible symbols of the authority conferred upon the king's chief steward. And by the way, the NAB translates belt as sash.
“and will commit your authority to his hand;”
And God doesn't just mean outward authority, he doesn't mean just the trappings and signs of authority, God means that he will give all of the authority that Shebna once wielded fully and completely to Eliakim.
“and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.”
Those words give us a hint of the real importance of the chief steward, but even they don't tell the full story. In ancient times, the chief steward was second in authority in the entire Southern Kingdom - outranked only by the king himself.
[00:25:21] The steward had control of the king's treasury and his storehouses. The chief steward could access them himself when the king was not in residence and could grant such access to others as well. God's words to Shebna mean a chief steward should care for the king's citizens, just as a father would care for his own children - putting their needs and their welfare before his own.
[00:26:02] “And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David;”
This key - the key of the house of David - was a literal key… it was made of wood, and it was larger than any modern key, but it was worn on the shoulder of the chief steward as a symbol of his authority.
“he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”
Meaning that the chief steward had the authority to make binding decisions concerning the daily administration of the kingdom in the king's absence, especially regarding the distribution of goods and supplies from the king's storehouse and the dispersal of funds from the king's treasury. And if those words remind us of the words Jesus said to Peter about binding and loosing in the Gospel - they should! That is exactly the type of authority that Jesus was conferring upon Peter… but that authority was meant for the Church!
“And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place,”
Okay, a peg should be understood as a small but sturdy piece of wood upon which one could hang a cloak, and such a peg would have been hammered securely into a wall. That image - at the time - served as a simile for strength and reliability.
“and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house.”
While those words certainly indicate great promise, unfortunately that did not end up being the case. Eliakim, too, disappointed the Lord by abusing his position as chief steward, putting the welfare of himself, his own household, and his friends before that of the kingdom of Judah. The metaphorical peg failed… weighed down by corruption and selfishness.
In this entire section of Isaiah, God speaks to the king and his court officials THROUGH Isaiah, in order to instruct them that the only way a society can survive is when it is based on justice and seeks the welfare of the poor and the marginalized.
[00:29:19] That is a message we need to hear more clearly in our world today!
Because we too are entrusted with treasure - earthly treasure perhaps, but certainly the treasure of faith and of Sacred Scripture - and do we keep such treasures only for ourselves? Or do we share it generously and lovingly with others?
[00:29:56] Do our lives demonstrate to the world that we truly believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and that we live as he taught us to live? Or do we remain on the fence, our allegiance undeclared, so that we feel free to put ourselves and our own interests first?
Do we declare an identity for Jesus, and if so, who do we say that Jesus really is? And will people believe what we say?
[00:30:47] That takes us to our Responsorial Psalm, which is Psalm 138, and the refrain is:
“[Y]our mercy, O LORD, endures for ever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
If you think back to a couple of weeks ago, I talked about the Hebrew word: hesed - which is often challenging to translate because its meaning is so complex. Well, we're in that very same situation this week. The RSV translation, as you heard, says: mercy; the Lectionary translation says: love - although the NAB (which is the basis of the Lectionary) says: mercy; and the Grail Psalter says: merciful love. What is important to take away from all of that is that hesed is an essential aspect of God's nature. So, while it seems difficult for us to understand - that's as it should be.
[00:31:58] And here are the verses:
“I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the angels I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple.”
And while we're here, I want to point out that the Grail Psalter adds a phrase in that first stanza that isn't present in other sources. The Grail Psalter says:
“I thank you, LORD, with all my heart; you have heard the words of my mouth. In the presence of the angels I praise you. I bow down toward your holy temple.”
“[I will] give thanks to your name for your mercy and your faithfulness; On the day I called, you answered me, my strength of soul you increased.”
“For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he knows from afar. Your mercy, O LORD, endures for ever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
This Psalm is a Prayer of Thanksgiving and Confidence.
On a very personal level, the Psalmist expresses his gratitude to God because God helped the Psalmist in his time of need… therefore, the Psalmist gives homage to God and offers a thanksgiving sacrifice in the temple.
But on a broader societal level, the Psalmist expresses his confidence that God will in turn care for all those who humbly seek his aid, that he is always aware of what happens on the earth he created, and that he is attentive to the needs of his people - but especially to the needs of the poor and the marginalized.
And that because God is gracious and generous, because he cares for his people - his people will praise him and exalt his goodness.
[00:34:22] That takes us to our Second Reading, which is from Romans 11: 33-36.
“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 that he might be repaid?’
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.”
[00:35:10] This is our 11th passage from Romans, we will hear three more before we are done with that letter in this part of Ordinary Time. And this passage follows immediately after the end of last week's passage where Paul was specifically addressing the Gentile members of the Christian community in Rome. Paul had just reminded his listeners that all men are given free will therefore, eventually all men sin. But God's mercy is so great that he showers it upon everyone.
[00:35:55] This week Paul openly expresses his awe at just how much greater God is than the human mind can ever possibly comprehend. So, let's listen as Paul continues to address the Gentiles in this part of his letter…
“O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!”
God possesses all of those qualities in infinite amounts and Paul is both amazed and overwhelmed - as we all should be!
“How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”
The NAB actually has unsearchable and inscrutable flipped… “how inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!”
What Paul means is that - no matter how much effort is expended - the human mind will never fully understand God. We should not, however, assume that he is capricious or impulsive - he is not! But his ways are often baffling to us. And despite our inability to comprehend God, we can always be absolutely certain that he works only for the good of his creation and the various creatures who inhabit it… including us - even if we cannot always understand his ways!
[00:37:46] “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been in his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
[00:37:59] Paul uses those two questions to revisit two rhetorical questions initially posed in the Old Testament. The first: “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” is from Isaiah 40.
[00:38:20] And Paul uses that question to instruct his audience that anyone who thinks they know the mind of God is a fool. Imperfect, limited humans that we are - we cannot know God's mind, nor can we understand his ways. We can share our thoughts and feelings with him… we can even scold him… but we cannot know or understand God fully, therefore we cannot presume to advise or counsel God on anything!
[00:39:10] We cannot give him advice. We certainly try - over and over again - but we will never succeed. We simply do not have the knowledge to do so.
Then the second question: “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” That is from Job 41.
And Paul uses that question Christian to teach his audience that no matter what human beings do - charitable actions, good behavior, sacrifices, kindness, or generosity - whatever it is we do, we aren't doing God a favor or giving him a gift!
[00:40:06] And we NEVER earn our own salvation! All the good that we do is only what God expects of us.
[00:40:23] So, God doesn't owe us anything in return.
He does - most assuredly - give us more than we ever deserve. He gives us his love, his grace, his Son, his Holy Spirit… he gives us the Church, the Sacraments… he gives us our salvation… not as payment for our actions, but simply because he is God and he loves us and wants us to be with him!
Then this passage concludes…
“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.”
[00:41:22] Theologians are fond of saying that God is the Efficient, Sustaining, and Final Cause of all things.
That is “philosophy-speak” for God created everything…. he holds everything in existence… and he established the goal toward which everything is directed.
Saint Augustine (4th century Philosopher and Theologian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church), attributed the Efficient Cause to God the Father - meaning that the Father created everything… the Father brought everything into being.
Augustine then attributed the Sustaining Cause to the Son - meaning that Jesus keeps all of us - and all of creation - in existence… that everything continues and functions precisely as Jesus' Heavenly Father created them to do.
And Augustine attributed the Final Cause to the Holy Spirit - meaning that the Spirit provides a purpose to our existence and helps us reach the ultimate goal for which we were created… to be with God in his heavenly kingdom for eternity.
That explanation used a whole bunch of words to say what Paul said in just 11 words at the end of that passage: “from him and through him and to him are all things.” Therefore, all of creation should - by right - give God all glory and praise forever.
[00:43:31] Which brings us back to the prayer we opened with, doesn't it? We praised and thanked the Father for the gift of his Son and the gift of salvation. The Son obtained that salvation for us through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. And the Spirit strengthens us to witness our faith to the world - the gift of faith originally given to us by God.
Or, at least, that's the idea. But it all comes back to who Jesus is to each of us.
And just as the Church was built upon the rock of Peter and continues to survive and thrive through the leadership of his successors… everything in each of our lives - in this world and in the next - rests on our faith.
[00:44:37] So, if Jesus were to stand physically before each one of us today and ask: “Who am I?” - what would our answer be? Who would we say that Jesus is?
[00:44:58] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, you can send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain, and may he hold you safe and secure in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God Bless.
