Vigésimo primer Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario 2026

Queridos hermanos y hermanas: ¿Alguna vez se han hecho esta pregunta: ¿Quién es Jesús para mí?

En el Evangelio de este domingo, Jesús les. pregunta a sus discípulos: “¿Quién dicen ustedes que soy yo?” Pedro responde: “Tú eres el Mesías, el Hijo de Dios vivo.” Pedro reconoce que Jesús no es solamente un maestro o un profeta. Él es el Salvador prometido por Dios.

Hoy Jesús nos hace la misma pregunta a cada uno de nosotros: “¿Quién dicen ustedes que soy yo?”

Es fácil decir que Jesús es nuestro Salvador porque lo hemos aprendido en nuestra fe. Pero Jesús quiere que nuestra respuesta se manifieste en la manera en que vivimos. Si Jesús es verdaderamente nuestro Señor, entonces nuestra fe debe influir en nuestras decisiones, en nuestras relaciones y en la manera en que tratamos a los demás.

Jesús alaba la fe de Pedro y le dice: “Tú eres Pedro y sobre esta piedra edificaré mi Iglesia.” Jesús le da una misión importante y promete que las fuerzas del mal no podrán vencer a su Iglesia.

Esto nos recuerda que nosotros también somos parte de la construcción de la Iglesia. Por medio de nuestro bautismo y nuestra fe, somos piedras vivas del Cuerpo de Cristo. Construimos la Iglesia cuando oramos, participamos en la Eucaristía, ayudamos a quienes tienen necesidad, perdonamos a los demás y damos buen ejemplo.

Pero también debemos cuidar y fortalecer nuestra fe. La oración, la Palabra de Dios, la Eucaristía y la Confesión fortalecen nuestra relación con Jesús. Cuando dejamos de orar y dejamos de preocuparnos por nuestra vida espiritual, nuestra fe puede debilitarse. Por eso necesitamos permanecer cerca de Cristo, especialmente durante los momentos difíciles.

Jesús también entrega a su Iglesia el ministerio de la reconciliación. Por medio del Sacramento de la Reconciliación experimentamos la misericordia y el perdón de Dios. También nosotros estamos llamados a perdonar a los demás. A veces es difícil perdonar a alguien que nos ha hecho daño, pero Jesús nos pide que dejemos atrás el resentimiento y permitamos que su paz entre en nuestro corazón.

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, el Evangelio de hoy nos invita a mirar sinceramente nuestra vida y preguntarnos: ¿Qué lugar ocupa Jesús en mi vida?

¿Es Jesús solamente parte de mi domingo, o es verdaderamente el centro de mi vida? Cuando tengo miedo, ¿confío en Él? Cuando sufro, ¿acudo a Él? Cuando tengo que tomar decisiones, ¿me pregunto qué quiere Él de mí?

No respondamos a Jesús solamente con nuestras palabras. Respondámosle con nuestra vida. Que siempre podamos decir:

“Jesús, Tú eres el Mesías, el Hijo de Dios vivo. Tú eres mi Señor y mi Salvador. Creo en Ti, confío en Ti y quiero seguirte todos los días de mi vida.” 

Amén.

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Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time 2026

Dear brothers and sisters, have you ever asked yourself: Who is Jesus for me?

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Peter recognizes that Jesus is not simply a teacher or prophet. He is the Savior promised by God.

Today, Jesus asks each one of us the same question: “Who do you say that I am?”

It is easy to say that Jesus is our Savior because we have learned it in our faith. But Jesus wants our answer to be shown in the way we live. If Jesus is truly our Lord, then our faith should influence our decisions, our relationships, and the way we treat others.

Jesus praises Peter's faith and says, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” Jesus gives Peter an important mission and promises that the powers of evil will not overcome His Church.

This reminds us that we are also part of building the Church. Through our baptism and our faith, we become living stones in the Body of Christ. We build the Church when we pray, participate in the Eucharist, help those in need, forgive others, and give good example.

But we must also protect our faith. Prayer, the Word of God, the Eucharist, and Confession strengthen our relationship with Jesus. When we stop praying and stop caring about our spiritual life, our faith can become weak. That is why we need to remain close to Christ, especially during difficult moments.

Jesus also gives His Church the ministry of reconciliation. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we experience God's mercy and forgiveness. We are also called to forgive one another. Sometimes it is difficult to forgive someone who has hurt us, but Jesus asks us to let go of anger and allow His peace to enter our hearts.

Dear brothers and sisters, today's Gospel invites us to look honestly at our lives and ask: What place does Jesus have in my life?

Is He only part of my Sunday, or is He truly the center of my life? When I am afraid, do I trust Him? When I suffer, do I turn to Him? When I make decisions, do I ask what He wants from me?

Let us not answer Jesus only with our words. Let us answer Him with our lives.

May we always be able to say:

“Jesus, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. You are my Lord and my Savior. I believe in You, I trust in You, and I want to follow You all the days of my life.”

Amen.

21st Sunday A 2026

My friends, Jesus' question:  ("Who do people say that the Son of Man is?")  is the pivotal point in Matthew's Gospel regarding who the Messiah is.  The explanation of the pivotal point is in next week’s Gospel.     

Regarding the Messiah, the Jews believed that the Messiah would be:

•  A human being

• A male descendant of King David

•  A man who would free Israel from the tyranny of Israel’s ruler, Herod the Tetrarch

•  A man who would free Israel from the tyranny of the Roman Empire

• The spiritual leader of Israel

Now, the disciples weren’t too sure who Jesus was.  They certainly knew that Jesus was a very special person.  They saw Him perform many miracles, including healing the sick and driving demons out of people.  They may have even thought that perhaps Jesus might be the Messiah, as described above.

Jesus undoubtedly heard rumors about Him, so He asked His disciples what people were saying about Him:  "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

And then Jesus’ question:  "But who do you say that I am ?" 

Peter’s reply:  "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

Recall that the New Testament was written in Greek and the Greek word for Christ is Christos which means “the anointed one” or “the Messiah.”

Peter’s statement of faith was confirmed by Jesus and He told Peter that this did not come from human reason but from our Heavenly Father.  As we heard, Jesus immediately made Peter the head or leader His Church. 

The “Church” as we know it did not exist when Jesus said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”  However, when Matthew wrote this, the Church did exist.  What Matthew was conveying was that Jesus recognized and appointed Peter as the leader of His disciples.  As we know, that group of disciples grew into the Church we have today.

When Peter became the head of the Church, it certainly was not an honor.  Rather, it was a huge responsibility.  Guiding and instructing the Church means acting and teaching on behalf of Jesus the Christ.  I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that some of the Church's actions and history did not follow the Way of Jesus.  The Spanish Inquisition comes to my mind first. 

However, even in its darkest times, the Church never wavered from the primary teaching and beliefs as stated in the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.  Even in our lifetime, we have experienced the Church's wonderful leadership in promoting peace and freedom and justice for all people.  We saw with the leadership of Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Francis and today’s Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV.

So, given everything stated above, Jesus asks us the very same question He asked of His Disciples:  "Who do you say that I am?" 

Intellectually, we could say, “Lord, Son of the Living God, Master, and Savior.”  And these would all be correct.  But, the deeper answer to this question requires much contemplation.  Who is Jesus in my life ?  To begin, it’s important to learn more about the life and teachings of Jesus and the perfect place to learn is the four Gospels. 

By journeying with Jesus in the Gospels, we get to know Him as our constant companion, brother, friend, and mentor.  We understand His teachings at a deeper level, especially His teaching that every person is a beloved child of God, our brother and sister. 

We would comprehend what Jesus said in John 14:20:   “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.  Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”  How wonderful to know that Jesus resides in you and me.

With this in mind, how could we not minister to and help those in need – especially the sick,  the poor, the weak, those who have no voice ?

My friends, by having a close and constant relationship with Christ Jesus, we understand and take to heart His most important teaching and Commandment:  “Love one Another as I have loved you.”