August 30, 2026
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Mt 16:21-27

Today is the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Beginning this week, the Gospel readings at daily Mass will be taken from the holy Gospel according to Saint Luke, which means that the theme of the Gospel will revolve around Jesus’ teachings concerning the end times. Today’s Gospel, taken from the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew, presents to us a dialogue between Jesus and Peter after Jesus’ first prediction of His Passion and Resurrection. Let us reflect on this.

In our lives, we often choose, according to our own preferences, to live in a world built up by material things, so much so that our understanding of God is based on those who, like us, are created by God in His own image. When those whom we regard as a safe harbor are about to leave us, we, based on our weak flesh, are tempted to act as Peter did (cf. Mt 16:22-23). For what we think about belongs to this world; that is to say, we wish to share in the glory obtained in this world by those we consider our safe harbor, so that, because of all they have done for us, we may enjoy all the worldly splendor. I believe this was the mindset Peter had when he rebuked Jesus, because, like the Jews of his time, he hoped that Jesus would lead them to defeat the Roman Empire and restore Israel.

In fact, the world we now live in is passing away. As the Ecclesiastes says: “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity.” (cf. Eccl 1:2). Even we ourselves, on account of original sin, after living in this valley of tears for a while, will return to dust. We often exhaust all the wisdom we possess, wanting to live a few more days in this world; in doing so, we regard ourselves according to human ways of thinking. Today, Jesus invites us no longer to view ourselves according to the worldly view of life, but rather according to the view of life in God’s world, as He has proclaimed it. The view of life He speaks of is this: to nail the life that brings about the death of sin to the Cross with Him, and through receiving His Baptism, to begin living as true children of God, and to bring this way of life, through concrete living and action, to this world which is destined to pass away.

God of might, giver of every good gift,
put into our hearts the love of your name,
so that, by deepening our sense of reverence,
you may nurture in us what is good
and, by your watchful care,
keep safe what you have nurtured.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica