GIVE TO GOD WHAT BELONGS TO GOD | HOMILY 18 OCT 2026 with Fr Jerry Orbos, SVD
HOMILY | Oct 18, 2026
A RABBI was once asked how he divided the collection he gets from his church services. “Oh that’s easy. After the service, I throw the collected money upwards. That which stays up there belongs to God. That which comes down belongs to me” was his short, smart reply!
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The Gospel today speaks about rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and rendering to God what is God’s. (Mt. 22:15-21) The fact is that everything belongs to God. Even our very life comes from God. But we often think we can outsmart Him when we leave Him out of our lives. We often do not render unto Him what is His, and appropriate for ourselves the time, the talents, the treasures which He has given unto us. Do not ever think that you can manipulate God, or outsmart Him. He has the final say. He holds the final accounting. So, when will you stop playing God in your life, and allow God to be God?
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There are some people who are so selfish and so self-centered. They have no sense of giving. Only getting. They actually believe that unto them only belong the power, the fame, honor and the name. Like this one person I met at a party once. For five minutes or so he kept talking about himself, his achievements, his opinions, etc. I just kept quiet and listened. After a while, he noticed how he was monopolizing the conversation, so he said “How about you Father Orbos? What do you think...about me and about what I just said?” Wow! For some people, it’s just I, me and myself all the way!
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The ability to go beyond oneself and not to grab anything for oneself is what we surely need in our country today. I spent four years as a missionary in South Korea, and I admire the discipline they have as a people and their strong sense of nationalism. “URI NARA”—our country—is a constant refrain on the lips of everyone young or old. In the Philippines, we talk or think much in terms of our family, our clan, our company, but hardly about our country. We
