Only Peter Has the Answer

Reflection for August 23, 2026 – Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel, Jesus declares Peter to be “the rock” upon which he will build his Church. Find today’s readings here.

“What do you think of the Pope?”

After the election of Pope Leo XIV in 2025, all my non-Catholic friends texted me this question. The result of the papal conclave was dominating the news cycle, and everyone was curious about this man who would now be so prominent on the world stage, making me temporarily popular with people who apparently need more (and better) Catholics in their lives.

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus entrust Peter and his heirs with the stewardship of the kingdom here on earth, creating an unbroken line of authority that stretches through the millennia all the way to our current Pope — whoever he is at the time you are reading this.

I don’t know if you like the Pope. The same goes for your local bishop and your pastor. If a friend texted you, “What do you think of him?” I have no idea how you would respond.

All I know is this: it doesn’t really matter. What really matters is what we would say if a friend texted us the same question about Jesus Christ: “What do you think of him, and why?”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus doesn’t ask his disciples to take an IQ test. He doesn’t try to find out which one is the nicest, the hardest worker, the most humble, or even the holiest.

He asks a very simple question: “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter has the answer.

I am not Catholic because I like the Pope. I am not Catholic because the human representatives of the Church have anything to offer me (they often do, but this is beside the point).

I am Catholic because only Peter has the answer.

©LPi