Homily Ordinary 21A: Following Peter to Christ

 Homily for Ordinary Time – 21^st Sunday Year A 2026

Introduction

“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”

With these words, Jesus gave Simon a particular authority to lead and strengthen his Church.

But why, some Christians wonder, do we need a man to lead Christ's Church? Why can't we simply deal directly with God? For example, some ask: Why go to confession to a priest when I can simply express my sorrow directly to God?

Of course, God can act directly, and we should always turn directly to him in prayer. But Christ chose to give us something more: a Church, with visible ministers, through whom he would continue to teach, govern and sanctify his people.

And this should not really surprise us. This is how God has been working from the very beginning.

Scripture and Theology

Throughout the history of salvation, God repeatedly chose particular people and entrusted them with a mission.

·        He chose Noah to preserve the faithful remnant when the world had become corrupt.

·        He chose Abraham to begin a people who would belong to him and through whom all the nations would eventually be blessed.

·        He chose Moses to lead Israel out of slavery and entrusted Aaron with the priestly ministry of the people.

·        He chose David to shepherd Israel as king.

·        He sent prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel to speak his word to his people.

·        And in today's first reading, we hear the Lord entrust Eliakim with an important office in Jerusalem. The Lord says that he will place the key of the House of David upon his shoulder and that he will be “a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.”

God could have accomplished all these things directly. But he chose to work through human beings.

And then, in the fullness of time, God sent his own Son. Jesus himself became a man and walked among us, teaching and healing in the towns and villages of Palestine.

It should not surprise us, then, that Jesus continued to work in this way. He chose twelve apostles, lived with them, taught them and prepared them to continue his mission after he returned to the Father.

And in today's Gospel, Jesus takes a further step. From among the Twelve, he chooses Simon and entrusts him with a particular responsibility for the whole Church.

Why Peter?

Jesus did not choose Peter because Peter was perfect.  Peter was not perfect at all.  We have seen this throughout the Gospel.

When Peter tried to walk on water to meet Jesus, he became frightened and began to sink. Jesus rescued him and said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Next Sunday, we will hear Peter try to prevent Jesus from taking up the Cross. Jesus will rebuke him very strongly: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

And, of course, during the Passion, Peter would deny Jesus three times.

So why Peter?  Because Jesus did not choose Peter because Peter was perfect; he chose Peter because Jesus was faithful.  Peter's authority did not come from his own abilities. It came from Christ.

And we see this clearly in today's Gospel. Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”  Others had given various answers. Some thought Jesus was John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.  But Peter gives the right answer: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And notice what Jesus says immediately afterward: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”  Peter's confession does not come simply from his own intelligence. It is a gift of God's grace.

There is an expression sometimes used in ministry: God does not choose the able; he enables those whom he chooses.

That certainly applies to Peter.  Jesus changes Simon's name to Peter, meaning “rock,” and entrusts him with the task of being a visible source of unity for the Church.  He will be the one who strengthens his brothers. He will be the one who feeds Christ's sheep. And Jesus will say to him: “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.”

Peter's authority, then, is not his own. It is a responsibility received from Christ and exercised in service of Christ's people. And that ministry continues in the Church through Peter's successors, the popes.

Christian Life

What does that Petrine ministry look like in our own time?

When Pope John Paul II, now a canonized saint, visited Uganda in 1993, I was in college and was fortunate enough to attend one of his Masses. I was able to see him from about five feet away as he walked toward the altar. Some of you may remember his visit to New Orleans in 1987.

John Paul II brought the Gospel to people throughout the world and reminded Catholics to be a missionary Church. Again and again, he repeated the words with which he began his pontificate: “Do not be afraid.” Put your faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

He was succeeded by Pope Benedict XVI. My graduate studies in Rome began just after his election, and I often saw him in St. Peter's Square. On one occasion, I was even within about five feet of him at a private audience. I remember seeing close up how humble and somewhat shy he was.

I vividly remember his first words after his election: “After the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord.” He added that the Lord's ability to work even with inadequate instruments was a source of comfort to him.  Benedict used his great intellect to remind the Church of the truth of Jesus Christ and the harmony between faith and reason.

Then came Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas. Several years ago, I attended a Mass presided over by him in St. Peter's Basilica and saw how reverently he celebrated the Eucharist.

Francis had a particular concern for those on the margins. Again and again, he preached about God's mercy and reminded the Church that the Gospel must reach those who are easily forgotten: the unborn and the dying, children and the elderly, the sick and disabled, prisoners and immigrants, and those who feel distant from the Church.  He too went to the ends of the earth, visiting even small and distant countries, strengthening people in their faith and reminding them that they had not been forgotten by the Church.

And now, for a little more than a year, we have had another Peter: Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope. A quiet and methodical man, Pope Leo has emphasized peace from the very beginning of his pontificate. His first words as pope were a call to peace in a world deeply marked by conflict.

He has also spoken strongly about human dignity and about the need to use technology, including artificial intelligence, in ways that serve the human person rather than diminish or exploit him.

Different men. Different personalities. Different emphases. But the same Petrine ministry. Each pope, in his own way, is called to do what Jesus told Peter to do: strengthen his brothers and sisters in the faith.

Conclusion

And so, since our destiny is heaven, let us remain close to Christ and close to the Church he established. Let us listen to the shepherds whom he has entrusted with guiding his people, and let us trust the promise he made to Peter: “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.”

We follow Peter because Christ gave him the keys. But ultimately, we follow Peter to Christ.