Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for August 7, 2026
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 in the United States coming to you for the third day in a row from the boyhood home of Pope Leo the 14th the former Robert Francis Prevost who was born and grew up here and spent his life here until he went away to high school Augustinian Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Today is Friday August 7th and if we did not yesterday have the feast of the Transfiguration we would have been able to ponder Jesus words to Saint Peter in Matthew’s gospel on which the papacy has been built in which Jesus took his poll and said, “Who do people say that the son of man is?” They said, “You rank among the highest figures in history. Some say you’re Jeremiah, some say you’re John the Baptist, some say you’re Elijah or one of the prophets.” And then Jesus turned to them and said, “Who do you say that I am?” It was then Peter moved by the Holy Spirit who stepped forward and said, “You are the Christ. You’re the Messiah in other words. You are the son of the living God.” Jesus went beyond just that he was the long anointed one the Messiah. He was saying he was in fact God himself the son of the living God. And Jesus knew that that had definitely come as a grace from the father and he likewise made a confession. He said, “You Simon son of Jonah a rock you are Peter and on this rock on you I will build my church and the gates of hell will prevail against it. I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven and the gates of the netherworld won’t prevail against that church. What extraordinary words that were said to the rock that’s what the word Cephas means in Aramaic or Pierre means in French or Peter that comes from the Greek word Petra in Greek, rock. Even though Peter sometimes didn’t act like the strength of a rock, him he would in fact be that rock built on Jesus the cornerstone on which Jesus would erect his church. And that rock is living. Peter passed on that gift to his successor Linus. Linus passed it on to Cletus. Cletus passed it on to Clement all the way down until it was passed to John Paul the second, Benedict the 16th, Francis, and now Leo the 14th. We give thanks for that Petrine ministry and we’re called to build our faith on Jesus, on the living rock that Jesus continues in every age to construct his church upon. In today’s specific gospel, immediately after that double confession, Jesus said that this was the type of Messiah he was going to be, that even though he was the son of living God, he was going to be betrayed, handed over to the chief priests and scribes, they would crucify him and on the third day be raised. And Peter said, “No such thing should ever happen to you, Lord. God forbid.” And Peter changed his name again and called him Satan and said, “Get behind me. Stop trying to lead me. Stop trying to get in my way. Follow me.” And then Jesus said something more broadly to all of us that we ponder today. He said, “Whoever wishes to be my disciple must deny himself, pick up his cross every day and follow me. Whoever would save his life must lose it. But whoever seeks to save get get whoever loses his life for my sake and the sake of the gospel will save it.” He wants us to follow him along the way of the cross. Pope Leo’s main job is to help us follow the Lord Jesus. And in following the Lord Jesus to eternal life, we too must join him in giving our life for humanity, picking up our cross every day and following Jesus along the Via Crucis. To the world the cross is just a sign of pain and death, but to those of us who are real disciples of Jesus, it’s a sign of that great love that makes even that much pain bearable. Let’s pray for Pope Leo. Let’s pray for each of us as disciples that we with Leo might follow Jesus all the way. God bless you.
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based on:
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”