SEEK GOD IN HIS CREATION | 04 OCTOBER 2026 HOMILY with Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD
HOMILY | October 4, 2026
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Did you hear the story about the doctor who gave his patient six months to live? Well, the man could not pay his bills, so the doctor gave him another six months!
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The Gospel today (Matthew 21:33-43) speaks about a landowner who sets a deadline for his tenants to produce fruits in his vineyard. Jesus reminds us not to be complacent and lazy. We all must give an accounting of our lives to the Lord in due time. The message is that life is not a vacation, but a vocation, a call to do something good and worthwhile while we are still alive. And the message is clear: there is a deadline where there will be no more extensions nor exemptions. At the end of our lives, when we face the “final curtain” may we come before the Lord with hearts filled with love.
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We know that we carry nothing with us to the grave, yet why this frenzy to earn more, acquire, and accumulate more? I’ve quoted it before and I quote again: The riches you give away are the only riches you bring with you to eternity. The rest, you leave behind. Make sure then that you are investing right, and not just investing well. At the end of our lives, may we not end up saying to ourselves “Sayang … mali (I was wrong).”
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You can’t go wrong if you invest in love. The love and goodness in your heart are never gone and will not be wasted. You may be left out, you may get hurt, you may be misunderstood, laughed at, or even persecuted if you love, but, love on anyway. For a while, you may even experience the futility, the foolishness, yes, even the stupidity of it all, but love on anyway, for in the end, the greatest achievement, the greatest investment in life is love. Are you investing enough love in your life? Are you investing in love at all?
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Some years ago, I saw a backhoe half submerged on a seashore. I learned that this expensive machine was being used in a dredging operation when its engine conked out. The operator tried to fix it,
