22/08/2026
“But who do you say that I am?”
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ August 23, 2026
A reflection by REV. JASPER MA. BANGUD, OSM
During his seminary years, a seminarian always believed it was entirely up to him, through his own efforts, to seek and find the Lord in his life. To him, his studies and all formation classes in seminary were simply his ways of searching for God. There came a time, however, when he felt deeply disheartened because the more, he tried on his own, the less he truly seemed to know the Lord. But as he surrendered himself more deeply to the mystery of the Lord’s life in religious life, bringing along all his questions and hopes, he gradually realized: everything begins with God’s initiative, and he was simply being invited to cooperate in knowing Him. Through God’s unmerited grace, the very questions and emptiness in his life became reasons to seek Him all the more. His desire to find God was itself already part of God’s own divine self -revelation. Even before he ever began to seek anything else, or to thirst for God’s existence, He was already ready to reveal who He truly is. The Lord already desires to be with us far more than we desire to know Him.
This truth has consoled me deeply after thirteen years in the seminary. I was already loved by Him long before I ever began to seek and love Him. How beautiful this is. It is also the Gospel’s reminder this Sunday, that genuine revelation comes from God Himself for those who sincerely seek Him. We may see ourselves in Peter, to whom Jesus said: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” Peter’s confession “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” was not the product of his human wisdom, or personal striving but it came directly from the Father. When Jesus spoke of “flesh and blood,” He meant this truth is a gift from above, not something we earn or figure out alone. With this revealed truth, each of us is invited into a personal encounter with Jesus, who asks us: “But who do you say that I am?” We may all have our own ideas of God based on experience, but we can look to Peter as our model. Peter was ordinary and imperfect yet open. Let us remember that revelation comes to the humble and quiet heart, not just the brilliant mind. Knowing Him is a gift revealed by the Father, a living bond and relationship. Even when we feel confused, lonely, or storm-tossed, God meets us in our simplicity and quietness. We need not be “someone great” for Him to reveal Himself but He chooses the ordinary to make Himself known.
May this revelation become our anchor in faith to follow and love Jesus. We continually ask the Holy Spirit to help us see beyond what our eyes and ears perceived so that we may remain strong, authentic, faithful, and joyful witnesses to the Gospel even in an uncertain world. Amen.
Originally published in the Neo Jeremiah Voice of the Young Prophet Newsletter (August 23, 2026 issue).
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