Peter’s Profession of Faith

Dear friends,

Today we hear in the Gospel Peter's profession of faith. This passage is one of the most important in the whole New Testament, because it opens the door for us to understand who Jesus Christ really is.

Who is Jesus Christ? There are probably as many opinions about Jesus as there are people in the world: a religious leader, a good man, one who worked miracles, a teacher, and for some, God made man.

Jesus asks this question of his disciples after being with them for two years: after performing many miracles and signs. They have heard him teach and seen him heal. They have seen him cast out demons. They have also heard him announce the Kingdom of God. In today's passage there are two questions.

The first is: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” What do others say about him? What does the world say about Jesus? Jesus wants to hear from his disciples what the people around them think of the Master they are following. The disciples answer willingly: there are four different answers: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Strange answers, but not so unusual for those times. When Jesus began his public ministry, the Gospel of Mark tells us that John the Baptist had already been arrested. According to the beliefs of the people of that time, some thought that John the Baptist, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets had risen from the dead; others thought he was Elijah, whose return had been prophesied.

All pious and good beliefs: but they are not accurate. Now Jesus turns to his disciples: “But you, who do you say that I am?” It was Simon Peter who answered. In the Gospels, the figure of Simon Peter always stands out. He is always the one who steps forward and speaks when there is something important. There seems to be something in him that draws him irresistibly toward the person of Jesus. He takes the initiative when all the others stay silent or draw back in fear. Today the heart of that attraction shows itself in words. He speaks: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Everything around Jesus and Simon seems to stop for a moment. Then Jesus answers, and we can almost hear his exclamation of joy: “Blessed are you, Simon son of John!” “Blessed are you!” There are so many blessings! Each of us can receive a blessing. One of these is the blessing of faith, the blessing of truly believing in the person of Jesus.

Simply believing that Jesus is a good man or a prophet is not enough! Faith is not a formula to learn by heart. Of course, as children we all learned certain truths of the catechism by heart. Does God exist? Yes. God loves me. God is our Father. God is Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But that's not enough. These are all true things. But learning them by heart is not sufficient. They must become part of our being — and this happens when the heavenly Father himself chooses us and reveals them to us. Every revelation in our life begins with the Revelation of the Person of Jesus. Who is Jesus? Let us all ask the heavenly Father now, in a moment of silence. Who is Jesus Christ? Father, reveal him to me too!

“Blessed are you, Simon son of John! Because neither flesh nor blood has revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven!” Jesus had already said, earlier in the Gospel of Matthew, that the Father hides the mysteries of the Kingdom from the wise and the intelligent, but reveals them to the little ones. Saint Peter himself writes to us in his first letter that we must receive the saving truths of the Gospel like newborn children: without malice, without deceit, without hypocrisy, without envy and without slander. God does not reveal himself to those who believe themselves intelligent and clever. That is why today the world moves further and further away from God: in their pride, people think they have understood everything there is to know — and end up remaining empty and full of doubts.

Today, let us pray for the gift of a pure faith in Jesus Christ: He is the Son of God who lives forever. Death has no power over Him. For Him, a thousand years are like a single day. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. When we call on His Name, He stretches out His powerful and loving hands to support men and women every day in all their struggles and trials. And above all, faithful to His Name, Jesus — “Yehoshua,” which means “the Lord saves” — saves His people from their sins.

Dear friends, dear brothers, today, during this Mass, let us too declare our faith with all our heart, in the Creed — and we do so: “Lord, we believe that You are the Son of the living God” — and during this Mass, let us bring before Him every aspect of our life that needs the saving power of the Son of God — who became man only out of love for me and for you — so that He may save us from our sins and from every difficulty or trial that threatens to overwhelm or destroy us. He will never allow our soul or that of our loved ones to be lost. Let us turn to Him with trust and with faith, and encounter the Son of God who comes to save us, to heal us, to give us strength, in this Holy Eucharist.

These reflections were shared during the homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, celebrated on 24 August 2026.