Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for August 7, 2025
Here is the video of today’s reflection:
The Youtube generated transcript for today’s reflection is:
I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies. It’s August 7th. I’m in Napa, California.
And today in the Gospel, we have one of the most dramatic scenes in not just the Gospels, but in salvation history. Jesus takes a poll. He says to the apostles, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And then he asks, “Who do you say that I am?”
In response to the first question, they said Jesus was among the greatest figures who had ever lived. He was being numbered among Jeremiah and Ezekiel and one of the great prophets. But when Jesus asked the question, “Who do you say that I am?” It was St. Peter who stood forward, the first pope, the fisher of men, and said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus proclaimed to Peter, “Peter, you didn’t know this by human learning. My father revealed it to you.” And then he said tremendous words. “I for my part declare to you, you are rock and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell won’t prevail against it. I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bound on earth will be bound in heaven. Loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” What an incredible thing for God-man to say to any human being.
But then after that, Jesus described what type of messiah he would be. That he would be a suffering messiah, that he would be betrayed, handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, be tortured, crucified, murdered, and on the third day be raised. And Peter said, “No such thing should ever happen to you, Lord.” He just couldn’t fathom that that would be the type of Messiah Jesus would be, despite the suffering servant psalms of Isaiah, despite all the Old Testament prophecies.
And that’s when Jesus changed Peter’s name a second time, and he said, “Get behind me, Satan.” Why get behind me? Because Peter was trying to lead Jesus rather than follow him. And Jesus wanted this obstacle, this person who was not just submitting to the devil’s temptation, but trying to tempt Jesus, to learn how to follow him anew.
We pray for Peter’s successor Pope Leo that he might always be following Jesus so that we can follow Pope Leo when following Jesus. We pray today on this feast of St. Sixtus II and his companions, the deacons of Rome, who were martyred in 258 on this day for their safety but also for their witness, even until the point of death, in fidelity to Jesus. And we pray for all the missionaries of the Church that together with them, we might throughout the Church proclaim Jesus to be the Messiah and the Son of the living God and follow him to the ends of the earth. God bless you.
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based was:
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.
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”