Divine Mystery and Real Relationship 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Isaiah 22:19-23; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20;
The reading from Romans affirms God’s power and mystery. God’s power is evident in that the entire universe, all of creation, is from God, created through God, and was created for God. Paul refers to the mystery of God with, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!”
The Gospel passage, which centers on Jesus being with his disciples, reveals God’s power and mystery in the life of Jesus, who was present with his disciples and is present to us, mysteriously, in every moment of our lives, giving us deep meaning and purpose.
Believing that Jesus sees us, knows and understands us, and deeply loves us gives us a sense of security, strength, and inner conviction that the martyrs had. Our security in God’s love allows us to flourish in whatever context life offers us, and whatever God, in his providential will, allows us to experience.
Today, there is a hunger for meaning in life, especially because, as Arthur Brooks notes, we live in a highly technological age. Technology, for example, our cell phones and our computers, is excellent at telling us what to do and how to do it well. However, technology cannot provide deep meaning in our lives. Deep meaning can develop only from a real relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters.[1]
Brooks rightly distinguishes between real relationships that nourish us with meaning and artificial, counterfeit relationships that do not. He warns us that if we use technology to satisfy our need for social connection, we are trying to satisfy our need with counterfeit social reality that will only cause us to hunger for more, for real relationship that we experience in genuine prayer, and in relating to people who personally know us and, ideally, whom we can see, hear, and touch.
The more we use technology to satisfy our desire for real connection with God and with our fellow human beings, the more likelier will become addicted to the extent we repeatedly do the same thing over and over again hoping that we will have a different outcome, which never comes, and in the process may become depressed and ever more isolated from a genuine relationship with God, with Jesus, who is with us mysteriously, and with our brothers and sisters.
Holy Spirit, grant us the gift of discernment so that we will use technology for the right purposes, specifically for questions about what something is and how to do something, but not for realities that deal with mysterious dimensions of life, especially dealing with developing a relationship with God, our creator, and with our fellow human beings.
Borrowing words from a prayer composed by Bob Schuchts, “In Jesus’ name, [We] announce the truth that Jesus promised: I am with you always (Mt 28:20). I will never leave or forsake you (Heb 13:5). [We] announce the truth that [we] are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, [our heavenly friends, who support us, and are praying for us and are urging us to continue on the true path towards freedom, fulfillment, happiness, and true, not artificial, counterfeit love.][2]
May God Bless You All – Father Peter
[1] Arthur Brooks, The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness (New York: Penguin Random House, 2026)
[2] Bob Schuchts, Healing Prayers and Renunciations, (Village Square Blvd: Heart of the Holy Family Publishing, 2024), 8.
Catholic Evangelization 