Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the Hands of Weak People; Authority in the Church; You Are the Christ
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Greeting
Through Jesus,
God has entrusted the Church
to weak human hands.
May the Spirit of the Lord guide
the leaders and members of the Church
and may the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
1. In the Hands of Weak People
We may wonder at times how it is that Jesus put his Church into the hands of weak, frail people, both in our leaders and in us, the members. Still, God trusts us and our leaders, and He promises to be with us until the end of the ages. God seems to trust us more than we at times trust him. Let us ask Jesus, who is present here, that our leaders and we may live up to that trust.
2. Authority in the Church
Who is the Church for us? Not only the pope and the bishops. They are the foundations, entrusted by Christ to lead and preside and serve, keep order and unify; but we too, with them, are the Church. It is our responsibility to cooperate with them and in all trust and maturity to share in their burden and to build up the Church with them. Together we are the Church of Christ. Together we now celebrate our faith in Christ.
3. You Are the Christ
If we could see Jesus standing here before us, a man of flesh and blood, and he would ask us, “Who do you say I am?” what answer would we give him? Who is he to you? He is here among us. Do we see in him our Saviour and our Lord? Is he the meaning of all we live for? Let us give him an answer of faith here in this Eucharist.
Penitential Act
Let us ask forgiveness from the Lord
that our faith and trust
are often hesitant and weak.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, we believe in you
for you are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, we trust that you pardon us,
for you have commissioned your Church
to bring your forgiveness to the world:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, we rely on your promise
that the powers of evil can never overcome
the people you have won for yourself:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Lord, we trust in you
that in your great mercy you forgive us.
Help us bring your forgiveness to others
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us thank the Father for our faith in Jesus
and for trust in the leadership of the Church
(pause)
God our Father,
we give thanks that you have gifted us
With faith in your Son Jesus Christ,
our Saviour and our Lord.
Make this faith grow in us,
that it may weather all questions and difficulties.
Give us also a great understanding
and trust in the leadership of the Church,
that together with our Pope and our bishops
we may strengthen the community
of the faithful of your Church
and bear witness with them to the world
of your saving mercy and love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading
The Leader Is Responsible to God: God entrusts his work to people. He gives them “the key” of authority. They are responsible to him and to the people.
New Steward
You will be deposed, strongman. I will throw you down from where you stand.
That day, I will call upon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.
I will dress him with your robe, strengthen him with your belt, grant him your authority, and he will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the people of Judah.
Upon his shoulder, I will place the key of the house of David: what he opens, no one shall shut; what he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fasten him like a peg in a sure spot, and he will be a seat of honor in the house of his father.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (8bc) Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to your name,
because of your kindness and your truth:
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
Second Reading
To God Be Glory Forever: Paul explains how God offers salvation to both Jews and pagans. He praises God for his great wisdom.
How vast are the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God! His decisions cannot be explained, nor his ways understood!
Who has ever known God’s thoughts? Who has ever been his adviser?
Who has given him something first so that God had to repay him?
Everything comes from him, has been made by him and must return to him. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Peter Is Our Rock. Who Is Jesus For Us?: To Jesus’ question, “Who am I for you?” Peter professes his faith: “You are the Saviour, the Son of the living God.” Jesus lets him share in his own authority for the service of his fellow apostles and the whole Church.
Peter’s Confession
Then Jesus went to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples:
“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They said:
“For some of them you are John the Baptist; for others Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
Jesus asked them:
“But who do you say I am?”
Peter responded:
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied:
“It is fortunate for you, Simon Barjona, because it is not flesh and blood that has revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
And now I say to you: You are Peter, and on this Rock, I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.”
Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
Prayers of the Faithful
Introduction to the Creed
With Peter and the whole Church,
we express our faith in God
and in Jesus, our Saviour. R/ I believe...
General Intercessions
Let us pray to God our Father from whom comes all authority in heaven and on earth, and let us say: R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For the Holy Father, Pope N., that the Holy Spirit may strengthen him to lead the Church with wisdom and courage, in co-responsibility with all bishops, let us pray to the Lord: R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For all bishops and priests, that they may speak to the People of God words of hope and encouragement; that they may be the hand that raises up those who fall and cannot go further, let us pray: R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For all Christians, that the Lord Jesus Christ may remain the cornerstone on which their lives are built, and that they may build up the Church by their loving and dedicated service, let us pray: R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For the mighty of this earth, the leaders of nations, that they may not abuse power or resort to oppression or violence and defend the poor and the people without voice, let us pray. R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
– For all those in positions of authority and influence, for parents and educators, for reporters and programmers in the mass media, that they may respect human dignity and promote truth, justice and peace, let us pray. R/ Lord, make us servants of your love.
Lord our God, help us to respect each person as someone for whom Christ has given his life. Let your Son come alive in our midst, that we may build up one another in faith and courage, trust and hope, for he is our Lord forever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
give us in this Eucharist
the body of your Son,
that we may become more and more
the body of the Church,
the living community of your Son.
Through him, we offer you
All honour and glory forever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Among us is Jesus, the Saviour, the Son of the living God. With him, we offer to God our Father this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
We stand before the Father in heaven
and pray now with Jesus our Lord,
the prayer he himself has taught us. R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from our lack of faith
and from the evil of every sin.
Give us the peace and trust
that comes from knowing
that Jesus is alive among us
as our Lord and safe guide.
Reassure us that with him
there is nothing to fear
and that with him we can build
the kingdom of service and love among us,
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus Christ our Lord,
our Savior and the Son of the living God.
Happy are we who believe in him
and who receive him as our food of life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
God of power and might,
your Son Jesus Christ has come here among us
without any display of power
but rather as the humble servant
of his brothers and sisters.
Let those who bear in the Church
the burden of authority
become more like your Son.
Unconcerned about power and prestige,
may they reflect the attitude of your Son,
who came not to be served but to serve.
Let this be their way to become great
in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
We have experienced in this Eucharist
a bit of the unity of the Church.
We have felt one in Christ.
After Christ and under him,
the principle of unity in love and service
is the pope, and with him the bishops.
With them we are called
to continue the mission of Christ
in the Church and in the world.
May God bless you all for this task,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the love and peace of Christ. R/ Thanks be to God.
REFLECTIONS
Matthew 16: 13-20
Risk everything in order to gain everything
In the relative safety of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks his disciples two questions: first, what popular opinion about his him is; second, who they think he is. Popular opinion was that Jesus spoke for God, like the prophets.
So Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” The “you” is emphatic. This cuts to the core of the disciples’ relationship to Jesus and moves the question to a very different level. Peter blurts out the right words, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” But when Jesus explains his Messiahship means his suffering, Peter says, in effect, “no way.”
Thus, the second part focuses on the identity of Peter. Like biblical Israel, Peter’s identity is that of the one, in spite of his shortcomings, who is mysteriously chosen to receive divine revelation. Peter, despite his deficiencies, is chosen for Divine Revelation. Jesus earlier thanked God for hiding these truths from the wise but revealing them to infants, stating only the Son knows the Father and reveals Him to whom He chooses. The point is this: if you are willing, God will make you able. Peter loved Jesus and was willing for the sake of that love. God made him able for the task ahead.
The Transfiguration occurs soon after Peter’s confession, where Peter, James, and John see Jesus in his full identity. For Peter and us, knowing who Jesus is starts with recognising him—a glimpse of his transfiguration and crucifixion. Confessing Jesus as Messiah and Son of God involves understanding why he suffered and was crucified. Thomas Mertonnotes that following Christ requires risking everything to gain everything.
Today’s gospel beautifully emphasizes the significance of our identity. Peter represents every one of us who confidently proclaims Jesus. As believers, our sense of who we are is closely connected to recognizing and embracing the Lord’s identity.
Jesus gently told his disciples not to reveal that he was the Christ, because the reason still applies today. He didn’t want rumors or human testimonies to spread. Instead, he wished for people to come to him because they heard God's Word, not just human words. This way, the disciples can clearly share the true message and introduce the genuine Jesus.