Sunday Meditation: Who Do People Say That the Son of Man Is?

On the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time in Year A, we get the well-known foundation of the Church in the person of Peter.  Three years ago I embedded a video clip of Dr. Brant Pitre giving the fullest exegesis of how this Gospel passage formed the Catholic Church, the Papacy, and the Church’s authority in the person of Peter.  No other video clip is going to expand on that because that clip said it all.  In that clip, Dr. Pitre quoted the second century theologian and bishop, Irenaeus, from Against Heresies on the early Church’s view of this passage.  It’s worth quoting here.

 

St. Irenaeus wrote this about the church at Rome and Peter's successors: quote, “the very great the very ancient and universally known church found in and organized at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles Peter and Paul; as also the faith preached to men…comes down to our own time by mean of the successions of the bishops.  For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church [meaning the church at Rome] on account of its preeminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere…The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate [Linus was Peter successor]…To him succeeded Anacletus; after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement.  To this Clement there succeeded Evaristus. Alexander followed Evaristus; then sixth from the Apostles, Sixtus was appointed; after him Telephorus, who was gloriously martyred; then Hygenus; after him, Pius; then after him Anicetus.  Soter having succeeded Anicetus, Eleutherius does now, in the twelfth place from the Apostles, hold the inheritance of this episcopate.  In this order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the Apostles, in the preaching of the truth have come down to us. and this is the most abundant proof that there is one and the same vivifying faith which has been preserved in the church and the Apostles until now and handed down in truth.”  (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.3.2-3; trans. ANF 1.415-16)

This was written in the year 180 A.D.  Don’t ever let anyone dissuade you from knowing that today’s Gospel passage identified Peter and his successors—for this passage shows the rule of succession which some deny—as the foundation to bind and loose, teach and consecrate from Peter to Pope Leo XIV today. That understanding was there from the beginning.

Today’s Gospel:

 

 

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and

he asked his disciples,

"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter said in reply,

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus said to him in reply,

"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

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."

Then he strictly ordered his disciples

to tell no one that he was the Christ.

~Mt: 16:13-20

 

 

My Catholic Life! provides an exegetical aspect that Dr. Pitre doesn’t develop.  It’s worth including here.

 

My Catholic Life!:

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:13–16

 

The symbolism associated with Caesarea Philippi is central to today’s Gospel. Located north of Jesus’ home base in Capernaum, it was a predominantly pagan city known for its shrines to false gods. One of the most prominent was Pan, after whom the region was named Panias (later Banias). Pan, a Greek god, was honored at a shrine near a large cave and spring considered the entrance to Hades. Pan was the god of nature, shepherds, flocks, wild places, fertility, and rustic music, and was often depicted as half man, half goat, with horns and hooves. He played the pan flute and was associated with lust, chaos, and sudden fear—from which we get the word panic.

 

Additionally, the city was the site of a temple dedicated to the late emperor, Caesar Augustus, who was worshiped as a god throughout the Roman Empire. It was into this spiritually dark pagan setting that Jesus led His disciples—on what may have been a two-day journey—for what culminated in a single, monumental question.

 

Jesus took the Twelve away from the comfort of their familiar fishing village and Jewish neighbors for a reason. He wanted them to answer His question not in the midst of the familiar and safe, but in a place marked by spiritual confusion and idolatry. Why? So that faith could be professed even there, and divine grace could confront the darkness that permeated the region.

The locations of where the Gospel events occur are usually important to their meaning.  I may have mentioned this before, and here the region of Caesarea Philippi—notice its very Roman derived name—is a contrast to what Jesus is trying to instruct.  If the Roman emperor titled Caesar was considered a god and a son of god, Jesus identifies who the true God and the true Son of God is.

 

For the pastoral homily I’m going to turn to the successor of St. Peter, the current Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV.  This is from his homily on this passage given today at his Sunday Angelus.  The first four minutes are television introductions.  The Holy Father comes out at just about the 4:00 minute mark. 

 

Better still, you can read his entire homily at the Vatican Website.  Here are some key excerpts.

Pope Leo XIV:

The Gospel passage makes us understand how decisive this question is for the experience of discipleship.  Indeed, although the twelve apostles had already shared so much of the life and ministry of their teacher, Jesus did not take for granted that they truly knew him or had understood the mystery of the Kingdom of God.  Thus, after asking them what people were saying about him, he addressed them directly: “But who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:15).

 

Brothers and sisters, this is a fundamental question for the disciples of every age, and for each one of us.  Faith is not something given to us once and for all.  Rather, we continually need to rediscover the face of Christ and his Gospel, to enter more deeply into his message and to renew the choices we make in our lives, so that they may be consistent with what we profess.  In this way, we can overcome the temptation to think that we already know everything and to reduce faith to mere habit.

 

The question that is put to us each day — who is Jesus for me, and what does his presence mean in my life? — emerges especially in prayer and when we meditate on the Gospel.  Yet it also arises when we encounter the wounds and needs of our brothers and sisters, and in those relationships and situations that most deeply challenge our conscience.  In our daily lives, in short, we can discover whether the Lord Jesus is for us merely a great figure of history, who said and did important things, or the Christ of God, the One sent to bring us into the love of the Father and to transform our lives and the world in which we live.

The question Jesus poses to the apostles is the question He poses to us, not just once or once a month or once a year.  Jesus poses this question to us every day, and we are to be guided by our response every day.

 

 

 

Sunday Meditation: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

 

 

 

Let’s return to John Michael Talbot for today’s hymn with “Surrender to Jesus.”

 

 

Take all my freedom

My liberty, my will

All that I have

You’ve given to me

So I offer it up to You

 

CHORUS:

I surrender it all to Jesus

I surrender it all to God’s will

I surrender it all for the kingdom of God

I surrender my life, my all

 

Your grace and Your love

Are wealth enough for me

Grant me these Lord Jesus

And I’ll ask for nothing more

 

(CHORUS)

 

I surrender it all for the kingdom of God, my life, my all.  I surrender it all to Jesus.

Handmaids and Warriors Newsletter: August 2026

This is Alice’s August newsletter.  I explained Alice’s monthly newsletter here.  This month focuses on the Assumption and Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Before the newsletter, let us pray: For Pope Leo XIV

Hail Mary, full of grace…

Hail Mary, full of grace…

Hail Mary, full of grace…

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

 

Handmaids of Mary

St. Michael’s Warriors

 

August 2026 Newsletter

SALVE REGINA

  

In the month of August we celebrate two main feast of the Blessed Mother: the Assumption on August 15^th and the Coronation on August 22^nd.

However, Mary did not stay in heaven.  She left the glories of heaven many times to continue to nurture her children.  Once, in the year 1208, she appeared to St. Dominic and said to him, “Dear Dominic do you know the weapon the Blessed Trinity  wants to use too reform the world?  It is the rosary.  I want you to preach my rosary.”  This apparition is considered the birth of the Rosary. 

MOTHER OF MERCY, OUR LIFE, OUR SWEETNESS, AND OUR HOPE

Mary as our loving Mother is calling us to heed the messages of her apparitions as they are meant for our times, especially the messages of Fatima.  We should not be caught off guard as Mary has told us how communism would spread and wars would escalate.  When we turn the news on, we are hearing the message of Fatima happening today.

She has given us the weapons to combat the evils of our day, and we need her protection by wearing the Brown Scapular and saying the rosary. 

TO THEE DO WE COME MOURNING AND WEEPING IN THIS VALLEY OF TEARS

We are praying the St. Michael prayer and three hail Mary's for the church and the Pope.

TURN THEN MOST GRACIOUS ADVOCATE YOUR EYES OF MERCY TOWARDS US

Besides the rosary Mary wants us to remember the seven Sacraments as well.  Sacramentals are one of the means the church enables us to participate in her treasures of grace and to show her love and solicitude for us.

The Sacramentals:

There are seven: the Crucifix, the Sign of the Cross, Holy Water, Blessed Candles, Blessed Palms, Scapular, and Medals.

Last month we covered the Crucifix, the sign of the Cross, and Holy Water. 

This month we will do two more: Blessed Candles and Blessed Palms.

And in September, Scapular and Medals.

O CLEMENT O LOVING O SWEET VIRGIN MARY

Blessed Candles:
It is the wish of the church that candles used in liturgical functions be made form pure beeswax.
The number of candles to be used at various services is regulated by church law.
For a solemn Mass; 4 or 6.
For a Low Mass 2.
For Benediction and Exposition 12
Solemn Exposition such [as 40 hours) 20

Candles are blessed and used throughout the year on the feast of the Purification of Mary symbolic of the journey of  Mary and Joseph to the Temple to present Jesus “light of the World.”

No Catholic home should be without Blessed Candles.  They should be used in times of danger, especially in storms or other calamities and also in times of sickness in order to invoke the protection of God.

Blessed candles are placed in the hand of the dying, symbol of divine light that is to guide them through the valley of death to the realm of everlasting happiness.

Candles that burn near the coffin of the departed are to remind us that the body was the temple of the Holy Ghost, that it received the grace of Baptism and will rise again through the merits of  Christ.

Pious Customs have established the practice of burning candles before the altar to honor the Divine Heart of Jesus truly present, and to plead for special graces and blessings.

Blessed Palm
Every Catholic is familiar with the ceremony of the blessing of the palms on Palm Sunday.

The ceremony recalls the triumphal entry of our Savior into Jerusalem. The palm is an emblem of Victory won by Christ over sin, death, and hell.

The church in blessing the palms refers to the olive branch brought by the dove to Noah after the subsiding of the waters as a symbol of peace established between heaven and earth and the abundant overflowing of Divine mercy.  The branches are green and symbolize grace.

Blessed palms should be reverently preserved in the home as a holy sacramental to ward off the assaults of the devil and to obtain God’s protection.  Old palms should be burned and not allowed to lie around or be cast aside where it might be disrespectfully treated.

Since August is also the feast of Edith Stein, Carmelite, it is hard not to mention her connection in this letter.  There is so much persecution of the Catholic faithful today such as in Nigeria, China, and many other places in the world.  Edith Stein is a model for those who are persecuted simply because of their nationality or religion.  She died with her arms around the little children who were dying with her in Auschwitz, a women’s motherly love embracing them in their last moments.

Mary’s motherly love is our hope for today’s world of persecution, with her rosary to defeat Satan and all his wiles and wickedness.

PRAY FOR US, O HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, THAT WE MAY BE MADE WORTHY OF THE PROMISES OF CHRIST.

 

Alice

Handmaid of the Handmaids and the St. Michael Warriors.…

Personal Note: Rosie Turns Twelve

For regular readers of Ashes From Burnt Roses, you will remember my Black Labrador Retriever, Rosie.  I have posted on her through the years, especially on her birthdays.  There are some great pictures and videos of her through the years in those posts.  It tugs at my heartstrings to recall them.

Last week on the twelfth, Rosie turned twelve years old.  She is now our longest living dog.  For nostalgia's sake, here are the life spans of our three dogs.

	Birth	Death	Life Span	Days
Sasha	Oct 5, 1991	July 18, 2003	11 Yrs, 9 Mths, 13 Days	4,305 Days
Brandi	Nov 4, 2003	Dec 1, 2013	10 Yrs, 27 days	3,681 Days
Rosie	Aug 12, 2014	Still Living!	12 Yrs, 7 days & Counting	4,390+ Days

We loved them all.

Rosie is still kicking!  To my surprise.  She had a bunch of ailments as a young dog.  She had Lyme Disease.  We were not as strict with her on the heartworm pills, and after Covid we rarely took her to the veterinarian unless it was an emergency.  She was not kept up on her shots, and frankly I wonder how good all those shots are.  She had seizures last year but it’s been a while since the last one.  She had and continues to have all sorts of benign growths, some very large.  Right now she as a growth on the right side of her chest about the size of three-inch-thick paperback, ten by six inches.  One large growth several years ago was on her rear end, and it grew so big that it obstructed her anus.  It had to be removed.  The surgeon said it came out as one large ball and it was all benign.  We suspect that large growth on her chest is benign also.

For the past year she has struggled with arthritis in her hips.  She hasn’t tried to run in over six months.  The video I posted on her eleventh birthday may have been the last time she ran.  It’s a struggle for her to go up and down the stairs.  Going up the stairs I have to help her rear half by placing one arm under her belly and the other on her backside pushing up and forward.  Once I give her a push she gets into a rhythm, pulling her back legs up the stairs as she pulls herself with her front legs.  We took her to the vet in April and he did not recommend any medication.  She also showed up with reduced kidney function in her blood test. 

At some point after her eleventh birthday, I started counting down the months to her twelfth hoping she would get there.  And she did!  It sounds depressing but she remains a happy dog. 

She, as all our pets, have been blessings to us.

We got her a floor mattress thinking she would prefer not to climb onto the couch.  In her doggy logic she refuses to lay on the floor mattress.  The best we could do was coax her to lay her head on it.

And guess who took over the mattress?  Tiger!  LOL.

She still gets on the couch, mostly by herself but sometimes with a little help.

 Being silly!

And with Rochelle.

In the snow in February. 

Here at the Vet in April.

Here is her most recent picture on her birthday last week.

 

Happy Birthday Rosie!

 

Sunday Meditation: For the Lost Sheep

On the Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time in Year A, Jesus continues His Galilean ministry only for this passage He takes a side trip north.  Why does He go north?  Well, it’s hardly ever mentioned when it comes to the exegesis of this passage, but the clue is in the response to the Canaanite woman.  He tells her He came for the lost sheep of Israel.  Jesus is in the area of the lost ten tribes of Israel who were conquered by the Assyrians and then absorbed into their population.  The lost sheep are gone and only God can reconstitute them.

Matthew chooses to call the woman a “Canaanite.”  This was anachronistic for Matthew’s time.  The people of the area had long ceased to be seen as “Canaanites,” a term from First Temple times, some eight hundred years prior.  In the same corresponding passage in Mark’s Gospel, Mark calls her the Philo-Phoenician woman, and that’s how people in Jesus’ time would have called her.  So Matthew is choosing a term that heightens the enemies of Israel, which would further alienate the woman.

So grasp this.  Jesus is coming to reconstitute the twelve tribes, but ten of them are absorbed into a new, pagan culture.  Within the “Canaanite” woman are both cultures but, in a sense, alienated.  Jesus in response to her request tells her He has come for the lost Jews.  She has identified Jesus as the Mesiah, “Son of David,” and so she reveals her bi-furcated nature.  Through her humility and faith, Jesus transcends the structure of the priority that the children of Israel eat first and the “dogs” eat scraps.  The new pagan culture, through faith, contains the Jewish past. 

Thomas Aquinas in his Homily #4 identifies five aspects of the woman’s response which should serve as a model for us.

 

(1) Humility: “ Yet the dogs eat.” (2) Her patience, since she patiently endured the seeming reproaches of Our Lord. (3) Her prayer, “ Have mercy on me, O Lord.” (4) Her perseverance : she did not cease asking till she obtained what she desired. (5) Her faith: “O woman, great is thy faith.” 

 

 

Today’s Gospel:

 

 

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,

"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!

My daughter is tormented by a demon."

But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.

Jesus' disciples came and asked him,

"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."

He said in reply,

"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me."

He said in reply,

"It is not right to take the food of the children

and throw it to the dogs."

She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps

that fall from the table of their masters."

Then Jesus said to her in reply,

"O woman, great is your faith!

Let it be done for you as you wish."

And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.

~Mt: 15:21-28

 

 

 

For the exegetical homily, I’m going to turn to Fr. Mike Schmidt who I think zeros in on why this passage is so powerful.  Let’s set aside the historical context and let Fr. Mike focus on the spiritual.

 

 

Fr. Mike:

If you've ever been in a situation where there's you know some kind of like medical emergency or not even medical emergency but typically situation where the you've tried all of your options like you've exhausted all of your options whether that be you know a joint has failed and you're like man I'm in so much pain or maybe there's like a cancer diagnosis and you went through all of the treatments sometimes it's a mental health issue where you're like I I've seen a counselor I've tried medication all these things where it seems like, okay, there's and there's and there's no other option. There's no other you're desperate. You've ever been in that situation where you're just so desperate, like you've tried everything and nothing has helped, and you find yourself in the exact same place as you were before, but you're not even in the exact same place as you were before. You're in a worse place because before you tried all these other options, uh you had hope.  But after having tried everything and nothing's worked, you realize, is there room for hope?  And this is the place of desperation, right? And this again, this is the place that a lot of us can find ourselves and probably a lot of us will find, maybe all of us will find ourselves at some point in our life where we have tried everything and nothing's helped. We've tried everything and nothing has worked.

 

Now, I I've talked to some people who will see that the intercessory petitionary prayer, they will see that as kind of like a less than prayer where it's that that's for those people who don't really trust God. And you know, a couple weeks ago again, I I I mentioned this. I said that sometimes people ask me, "Hey, Father Mike, what do you need prayers for?" And my answer is often times, I don't know. I I just I know that God I know that God knows and I know that God is give me going to give me the best.  And so there that's a certain level of trust, right? a certain level of trust where we basically do say that we say, "God, I trust you that you're going to give me what I need." Petitionary prayer, intercessory prayer, we know that that's not for those who are less spiritually advanced for a couple reasons. Number one is because Jesus did do petitionary prayer. Jesus did do intercessory prayer and we are not more advanced than Jesus. That's the number that's the first thing we have to understand. The second thing is this that approaching God to again prayer is a petition where we are interceding on behalf of ourselves or someone else.  That kind of prayer asking God for what we know or what we need or what we want.  It's an exercise of what it is to be a son or daughter of God. I mean just imagine if we if we didn't approach the Lord with our with our needs or we didn't approach the Lord with our wants that could be a sign that we're not willing to open our hearts to God and and tell him and show him our hearts.

 

The third thing is this. I think there's a certain kind of trust. Again, there is a real trust that says, "God, you know best, so I won't even ask." Again, I think that's not bad. That's a certain kind of trust. God, you know best, I won't even ask. There's also a kind of trust that says, God, you know best. So, I will ask for what I want. I will ask for what I need and then I will trust that you will give me the best. And I think that's even a deeper trust. It's one thing to just be like, hands off, God, you give me whatever you you need to give me.  There's a deeper kind of trust that says, God, I'm going I know you're going to give me what's best. I'm also going to reveal my heart to you. I'm going to ask you for something and then I'm going to trust that you give me what is best because again that is a profound act of trust because we know this. We know that God can have it. God will answer. We know that God's answers are at least three things. He one of at least three things. He could say yes. He could say no. He could say wait.  We know that when we come before God like the Canaanite woman in the gospel today and we're desperate and we say God this is what I need. He can say yes. He can say no. And he can say wait. So here's the question.  When I ask when I'm desperate, when I come before God and say God, this is what I need or this is what I want. The question is this.  Can God tell me no? Can God tell me no?  The further question is, what do I do when God tells me no?  I love this. What happened in the Gospels? Well, what someone might say is that she persists. Maybe even they would say that she argues with Jesus maybe.  But the first thing that she does is Jesus tells her no.  And she stays. This is this is this is so so important.  Jesus gives his answer. Jesus tells her no.  And she stays there. Question. Can God tell me no and I won't go anywhere?  Because our temptation, my temptation, our our temptation is to be mercenaries, right? To give our to give our hearts to the high to the highest bidder, to give our faith, to give our trust, to give our allegiance to the highest bidder.

Trust is what is at the heart of the Canaanite woman’s appeal. 

 

For the pastoral homily I’m going to turn to Cardinal Blase Cupich who focuses on the differences of the in group and the out group.

 

 

Cardinal Cupich:

Established groups can very easily fall into the temptation, the trap of defining who's in and who is out, who belongs and who doesn't, a difference between us and them.  We see that so often in society and it can happen even in the life of the church. People who are veterans of the faith begin to act as though they're quite settled with their own community where they can be their own insular group, a self-referential community as Pope Francis often spoke of, and even tie themselves to a political party as though they are a political party at prayer.  But what we see in Isaiah the prophet and in Jesus words in the Gospel of Matthew today is that that is a temptation we should put aside.  And we see this in this story of this Canaanite woman. She indeed is a foreigner, speaks a different language, is a pagan.  And yet she comes to Jesus with a need.  And at first, of course, the disciples want to send her away. She's a bother to us. And Jesus even recognizes the prejudice in their heart to the point where the cruelty of that line.  The dogs in fact should not be given the master's food.  He says that to unveil and show the cruelty of categorizing people according to those who belong and those who don't.  But instead, what comes to the surface is her need as a human being, as a mother for her child, about her human dignity that cuts across all of those prejudices and categorizations we make of people.

 

Three years ago when this passage came up in the lectionary, I offered this interpretation as to why Jesus refers to her as a dog.  I want to re-emphasize it because I think Cardinal Cupich is alluding to similar.

 

Jesus and the apostles have been walking in a foreign country and come across lots of pagans.  The apostles being sinners and proud of their heritage mumbling to each other lots of what we would call racist language as they talk about people they see.  Jesus overhears them and picks up on this language not to insult the woman but to bring down the pride of his Jewish apostles.  It is the apostles who are cut to the heart. 

Cardinal Cupich:

Sometime later, Jesus would say to them, "If you have faith and do not doubt, if you say And here is this woman who shows her human dignity as someone who can love, love her daughter and she is asking Jesus to show that same love for her.  It's so very important in our lives to make sure we examine ourselves from time to time within the life of the church, but also in society that we do not create these boundaries and these walls to the point where we disregard the real human needs of others, the dignity of people, feeling as though we can cast them aside like the disciples wanted to do because they're going to make some demands on us or they're a bother to us.

Without being political, I see exactly what Cardinal Cupich is alluding to, and I agree.

 

 

 

Sunday Meditation: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

 

 

How about this lovely hymn for today, “Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All/”

 

Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all

How can I love Thee as I ought?

And, how revere this wondrous gift

So far surpassing hope or thought?

 

Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore

O, make us love Thee more and more

 

Had I but Mary's sinless heart

To love Thee with, my dearest King

O with what bursts of fervent praise

Thy goodness, Jesus, would I sing

 

Sound, sound His praises higher still,

And come, ye angels, to our aid,

'Tis God, 'tis God, the very God

Whose power both man and angels made

 

 

Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore!