Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, August 23, 2026

“Who do people say that I am?”

In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus is trying to determine how people identify Him. What if we were to pose that question today? What responses might we hear? Surely there would be some who would agree that Jesus was a healer, sage and prophet. Others might say: “Jesus? He’s my Lord and Savior!” Others: “Jesus? Did he really exist or was he made up?” Some wonder whether Jesus was a “misunderstood Jew” or suggest that Jesus was “a good guy, but not God.”

Jesus already knows that people have likely heard of His ability to heal, His ability to raise from the dead, and His ability to feed thousands of people. People know Him for what He does, but they do not know Him. As a result, they guess that Jesus is simply a prophet like John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. Just one more prophet in a long line of prophets. By identifying Him through his actions, they do not have to consider who He actually is. Today, we also define people by what they do instead of who they are. We are in awe of great musicians, athletes, actors, etc., because we are more impressed by their actions than who they are.

People use services like 23andMe to analyze their ancestry. Yet, the answer to the question, “Who do people say that I am?” has less to do with a scientific report of exact genetic composition than it does with how people see us, and, more importantly, how we see ourselves. More than genetics, we are typically identified in relationships with one or more others. I was only a husband because of my relationship with Rosemary. I am only a father because of my relationship with John.

In the Gospel, we learn that our relationship with Jesus Christ gives us an eternal identity. When Simon identified Jesus as, “The Son of the living God!” Jesus responded by changing Simon’s identity and transforming him into Peter (the Rock) upon which He was to build His eternal Church. Our Catholic faith identifies Jesus as the Son of God and identifies us as God’s beloved children. Jesus said that Peter’s understanding came from God. If we are faithful and available to God’s Spirit, God will continue to strengthen our identity in Him.

Fr. Mike