𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗗 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗘 | 17 August 2025 HOMILY with Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD | 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗗 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗘 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time August 17, 2025 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦: “𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘐 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴? 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸!” 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴. * This Holy Mass is celebrated via online and presided by the Rev. Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD (Missionary to SVD-PH Central Province/ SVD Mission ) at the Diocesan Shrine of Jesus the Divine Word at Christ the King Mission Seminary, Quezon City. For FULL REPLAY of the Holy Mass, click here https://youtube.com/live/C8VDo0bLiO0?... ————— Is there anything bothering you right now? A problem, an issue, a relationship, a concern perhaps? Try singing this nursery song: “Small circle, small circle, big circle. Small circle, small circle, big circle.” Act it out with your right hand, then your left hand, and then both your hands, as you sing! ————— In today’s Gospel (Lk. 12, 49-53), Jesus tells us that there will always be divisions (small circle) in our lives, but that we should not stop working for peace (big circle). The more we keep putting our small circles into God’s big circle, then we can have peace. Let’s not give up on our search for peace. ————— Someone beautifully said that God is a God who comforts the disturbed, and disturbs those who are comfortable. Our journey to God’s heart is not only about being peaceful and complacent. It is also about being disturbed and challenged. God’s love is both tender and tough love. ————— The main focus in our journey to God’s heart is God Himself, and not the sunshine or the storm we encounter along the way. In other words, the presence of God is what should give us peace, whether we go through peaceful or raging waters in our journey. God is with us, so we should have peace no matter what conditions we go through. If we have God, then we have that true peace which the world can neither give nor take away. ————— If we are hurt, judged, ridiculed, persecuted, and experience all kinds of discomfort, harassment, and oppression in our work for justice and peace, let us not lose hope and be consoled with the thought that God is on our side. “As long as you know that God is for you, it does not matter who is against you.” (Romans 8,31) ————— Last Aug. 15, we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother. Mama Mary was a woman of peace, who continuously yielded to God’s will, and who constantly put everything and everyone to God’s “big circle.” May Mama Mary, our Mother and our model, teach us to rise above our pride, selfishness, and pettiness, and help us to let go, and let God so that we can have peace. ————— The secret for peace is that we hold on to God’s will, God’s way, and God’s time, and not to our will, our way, our time. ————— There is that “lonely stretch” we all have to go through in our journey. It is a stretch when we do it with God, alone. People around us can help, pray, cheer, but they can only do so much. At times, it can be such a lowly and lonely journey, bereft of human consolation, and even of the divine. It is a journey to God’s heart, and, in this stretch, especially in the lonely stretch, we are never really alone. He may at times be hidden, but He has assured us that He will always be with us. ————— Thought for the journey: “God will sometimes break the strongest bone in your life when you think you are very strong, so that from then on, you will say that the strongest part of you is God … not your career, not your family, not your friends, not your special someone, not who you are, but God.” ————— Sometime, somewhere, all of us will meet our God, in His own terms, in His own time. The best way to prepare for that final meeting is meeting Him now, in our day-to-day lives. “If today you hear His voice, harden not your heart.” (Hebrew 3:15) May we, in our last and final moments, not be filled with regrets that we avoided His way, and disregarded His call. ————— A moment with the Lord: Lord, help us to keep on looking and searching for peace. Amen. Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer * Like and follow us on Facebook:   / frjerryorbos   Subscribe to our channel on YouTube:    / frjerryorbossvd   God bless you, and Mama Mary loves you! #frjerryorboshomilytoday #frjerryorbosmasstoday #Sundayhomily