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Congregation Of Mother Teresa CMT, Bauchi, Bauchi (2026)

08/10/2026

REFLECTION/THURSDAY OF THE 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A (II) 8/10/2026

FIRST READING: Galatians 3:1–5

PSALM: Luke 1:69-75

GOSPEL READING: Luke 11:5–13

THEME: Radical Reliance on the Holy Spirit

The liturgy of today invites us to confront one of the greatest subtle temptations of the Christian life: self-sufficiency. The two readings serve as a powerful reminder that our faith journey cannot be sustained by mechanical rules or sheer human effort. Instead, we are called to a state of radical reliance on the Holy Spirit. Let us open our hearts to listen to how God is inviting our community to step away from the anxiety of self-reliance and step into the peace of persistent, trusting prayer.

Furthermore, the readings challenge our human tendency toward self-sufficiency while reminding us that the life of faith is not fueled by mechanical rule-following or our own rigid control, but by trusting in the generous, giving nature of the Father and remaining persistently open to the Holy Spirit.

In the first reading, St. Paul delivers a passionate wake-up call to the Galatians. He puts before them: “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” He is correcting a community that started out on fire with the Holy Spirit but began sliding back into legalism, trying to achieve perfection through their own efforts rather than trusting in God's grace.

The Gospel bridges this beautifully. Jesus shares the parable of the persistent friend who knocks at midnight, assuring us that if we ask, seek, and knock, the door will be opened. Crucially, Jesus concludes by revealing the ultimate gift the Father desires to give: not just physical things, but the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.

True prayer and a true relationship with God are about recognizing our dependency. We cannot generate holiness or community strength on our own steam; we must be humble enough to consistently ask God for what we lack. It is easy for a church or ministry community to rely entirely on strategic plans, budgets, and human effort while forgetting the Spirit. We must continually ask ourselves: Are we running on human strength, or are we actively leaving room for the Holy Spirit to guide us?

In the parable, the neighbor gets the bread because of his shameless persistence. Christian communities are called to be unified, relentless houses of prayer, consistently interceding for one another and for the world without giving up. Jesus reminds us that a good father does not hand his child a snake when asked for a fish. As a community, our fellowship should reflect this divine generosity creating a safe space of trust, expecting that God wants to pour out His finest gifts (namely His presence and peace) upon us.

The message of today's readings is both a correction and a profound consolation. St. Paul reminds us not to stifle the fire of the Spirit by reducing our communal life to empty obligations. Simultaneously, Jesus reassures us that our Heavenly Father is actively waiting to pour out His greatest gift the Holy Spirit upon a community that is bold enough to ask, seek, and knock. As we go forth today, let us commit to being a community that doesn't just work hard, but prays deeply, confident that God will always provide exactly what we need to fulfill His mission.

✍🏾 BASSEY JOSEPH ANTHONY, CMT.

06/10/2026

REFLECTION/ TUESDAY OF THE 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A (II) 6/10/2026

First Reading: Gal. 1: 13-24

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 139:1-3.13-15

Gospel: Luke 10: 38-42

THEME: Choosing what is most Important

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on how we respond to God’s call and how we arrange the priorities of our lives. In the midst of our daily activities, responsibilities and worries, we can easily become distracted and forget what is most important: our relationship with God. The readings present to us the transformation of St Paul and the example of Mary, who chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him. They remind us that we must allow God to guide our lives and give Him the first place in our hearts.

The first reading presents the powerful story of the conversion and transformation of St Paul. Before encountering Christ, Paul persecuted the Church because of his former understanding of the Jewish faith. However, God called him and changed the direction of his life. Paul teaches us that God can transform even a person whose past seems far from Him. What matters is our willingness to respond to God's grace. His experience encourages us not to judge ourselves or others only by the past. God sees the possibilities within every person and can use someone who sincerely turns to Him for the service of the Gospel.

The Psalmist reminds us that God knows us deeply and completely. He knows our thoughts, our struggles, our weaknesses and our desires. We do not need to pretend before God because He already knows who we are. The prayer, “Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way,” is therefore a beautiful prayer for our daily lives. We need God's guidance in our decisions, relationships, vocation and service because human wisdom alone cannot always show us the right path.

In the Gospel, Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary. Martha is busy preparing and serving, while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to Him. When Martha complains, Jesus gently tells her that she is anxious and worried about many things, while Mary has chosen the better part. Jesus is not saying that service is unimportant. Rather, He teaches that our service must flow from listening to God. We can become so busy doing things for God that we forget to spend time with God. The Gospel therefore invites us to slow down, listen to Jesus in prayer, and put Him at the centre of our lives. When we first choose Christ, our service becomes more peaceful, meaningful and fruitful.

Let us therefore, ask the good Lord to give us the grace to remain ever committed to Him and be attentive to His words.

✍️ UDOH, LEO P. CMT

04/10/2026

REFLECTION / MONDAY OF THE 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A (II) 05/10/2026

First Reading: Galatians 1:6-12

Psalm: Psalm 111:1-2, 7-10

Gospel Reading: Luke 10:25-37

THEME: Living out the Gospel

In the First Reading, Paul expresses holy anger because the Galatians wanted a comfortable and sugar-coated gospel that pleases and appeals to their cravings, forgetting that gospel is meant to teach, rebuke, correct and train one in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). To correct this impression, Paul says: If I still wanted to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

My dear friends, this is for us as Christians. You will be tempted to sugarcoat the gospel so as to please people and to avoid problem. But there is only ONE Gospel, and it does not change because we are in the sinful society. Like Paul, without mincing words, we must stand up to the gospel values. The true Gospel will sometimes offend, but it will always save. Therefore, we must stand firm. The Psalmist encourages us to stand firm because the Lord keeps His covenant ever in mind. So, we need to stand firm to the true gospel because God does not forget His own.
The Galatians forgot, but God did not. The priest and Levite in the Gospel forgot the covenant of mercy, but God remembered the wounded man through the Samaritan.

In the Gospel reading, the priest and the Levite knew the Law, they were preaching the right thing, but they did not live it. They passed by. The Samaritan who was considered a sinner and outsider became the true neighbor because he showed mercy. Jesus is telling us: Orthodoxy without mercy is useless. You can preach the correct Gospel from Galatians, but if you don't bend down to help the wounded people, the sick, the poor man on the roadside, you are like the priest who passed by.

Today, like the Lawyer, we are challenged to imitate the compassionate heart of the good Samaritan. Let us pay attention, especially to the sick, the marginalized and the destitutes around us. Let us endeavour to offer a helping hand to the needy irrespective of their background and creed. May the good Lord bless his word in our hearts.

✍🏾 Gabriel Otu, CMT

03/10/2026

HOMILY OF THE 27TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A (04/10/2026)

Very. Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony E. Onyeocha

First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7

Psalm: Ps 80:8 and 11.12-13.14-15 and 17b.18-19(R. Isaiah 5:7a)

2nd Reading: Philippians 4:6-9

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43

Theme: What Fruit Does God Expect of Me?

Dear brothers and sisters,
In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks about his vineyard. This vineyard represents us and our life and above all, our salvation. We are expected to produce fruit

What Fruit Does a Believer Produce?
A true believer does not produce fruit merely with words, but through a life transformed by Christ. Jesus says: "By their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:16).

12 Fruits of a True Believer
1. Fruit of Faith- trusting God and remaining faithful to Him.

2. Fruit of Love- loving God and loving others, even when it is difficult.

3. Fruit of Holiness- turning away from sin and seeking to live according to God's will.

4. Fruit of Good Works- putting faith Into practice through service and charity.

5. Fruit of Forgiveness- forgiving those who hurt or offend us.

6. Fruit of Peace- avoiding hatred, quarrels and division and becoming a peacemaker.

7. Fruit of Truth- rejecting lies, deceit, corruption and dishonesty.

8. Fruit of Patience- remaining calm and faithful in difficulties and trials.

9. Fruit of Self-Control- controlling our words, desires, anger and actions.

10. Fruit of Witness- living in such a way that others can see something of Christ in us.

11. The fruit of prayer- I remain united with Christ through prayer. Jesus says: "Apart from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5).

12. The fruit of Eucharistic life- I receive Christ in the Eucharist and allow Him to transform my life. I do not merely receive Christ; I must become more like Christ whom I receive.

Other examples:
At home: he treats his family with love and patience.

At work: he is honest even when nobody is watching.

When offended: he forgives instead of taking revenge.
With the poor. he helps with compassion and dignity.

In difficulty: he continues to pray and trust in God.

In temptation: he chooses what is right rather than what is easy.

If I truly believe, my faith should produce love, holiness, forgiveness, charity, truth, peace and good works.

Dear brothers and sisters, a living faith produces a changed life. A changed life produces good fruit. And good fruit gives glory to God and brings us to heaven.

Prayer:
Lord, make my life a fruitful vineyard. May my words, actions and relationships show that I belong to Christ. Amen.

03/10/2026

REFLECTION/ SATURDAY OF THE 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A (II), 03/10/2026

Memorial: St. Theresa of the Child Jesus

First reading: Job 42: 1-3.5-6. 12-17

Psalm 119: 66,71,75,91,125,130

Gospel reading: Luke 10:17-24

THEME: The Joy of Humble Trust in God

Today, the Church also commemorate the memorial of St. Theresa of the child Jesus (1873-1897), the French Carmelite who died at 24 and became Doctor of the Church for her “Little Way” of doing small things with great love, the Church continues to echo her spirituality of childlike trust. So, the Church invites us to humility and humble rejoicing.

In the first reading (Job 42), after long suffering and argument, Job finally bows: “I had heard of you by hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees you, therefore I repent in dust and ashes”. His surrender brings double restoration. God restores his fortunes and gave him (one hundred and forty more years). The Psalmist teaches that God uses affliction to instruct His servants, and His word gives light to the simple who ask for Wisdom.

The Gospel teaches that true Joy is not in power or success that demons obey us, but in knowing that our names are written in heaven, because God reveals His mysteries not to the proud and wise, but to humble little children.

THE LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FOR TODAY’S REFLECTION
1. Affliction can be a teacher, not just a punishment: The Psalmist says, “it was good for me to be afflicted”. Job learned more about God through suffering than through blessings. Our hard times maybe God teaching us what comfort could not teach.

2. Personal encounter over stories: Job said “I had heard of you, but now my eye sees you”. The Psalmist asks “give me understanding “. Christianity is not about hearing about God, but seeing Him personally through humility.

3. Real Joy is not in power, but in belonging: Disciples rejoiced because demons obeyed. But Jesus corrected them. Many of us rejoices today because of money, power, positions, anointing and connections. True Joy is that at the end, our names will be written in Heaven.

Lord, make us humble enough to trust you in the dark and joyful enough to follow you in the light. Through St. Theresa, teach us to do small things with great love. Amen.

✍🏾 Opara valentine Amarachi (CMT)

02/10/2026

REFLECTION/ FRIDAY OF THE 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A (II) 2/10/2026

MEMORIAL: THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS

First Reading: Job 38:1, 12-21, 40:3-5

Psalm: 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14

Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10

Theme: "Their Angels in Heaven Always See the Face of My Father"

My dear brothers and sisters, today, the Holy Mother Church invites us to remember a truth we learned as children but often forget as adults: we are not alone. Each of us has a Guardian Angel. Jesus ends today's Gospel with a strong warning: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father”. This last verse reminds us that; children have infinite value before God. Their angels have direct access to God, they are VIPs in heaven. And, to despise, to harm, or neglect a child is to offend God Himself, whose face their angel beholds. The question for us in Nigeria today is: Have we despised these little ones? Our angels do not just protect us; they are witnesses. Their eyes see what God sees. If their angels always see the Father's face, then whatever we do to the child, we do before the very presence of God.

Sadly, child trafficking has become a lucrative business for many Nigerians today. We traffic our own children from villages to cities as house-helps, hawkers, and for sexual exploitation. We call it "helping." Jesus calls it despising the little ones. A child hawking pure water at 10pm on the highway while your own child is doing homework. Have we not despised him?

What about kidnapping of School Children? Our children go to school and do not return. Bandits take them from their classrooms like sheep. Every time a school is attacked and we move on after one week of news, we despise them. The angels of those children in captivity in the forest are still looking at the Father's face, crying for justice.

The Almajiri System also has its Implications. This is the most painful. A system that was originally meant for Quranic education has become a system of abandonment. We see boys of 5, 7, 10 years with bowls, no shoes, no home, no western education, no skills, no love, sleeping in front of shops. We drive past them in our cars. We call them "Almajiri" and give them 20 naira to clear our conscience.

Brothers and sisters, these children did not ask to be born. Their guardian angel is with them under the bridge, in the cold, in hunger. And that angel sees God. What does that angel report about us? The Almajiri system today is a factory for vulnerability. A child with no family, no education, no belonging becomes easy prey for trafficking, for radicalization, for political thugs, for child labor. When we fail to reform it, we are despising the little ones. The government must reform the Almajiri system. Integrate Islamic education with basic literacy, vocational skills, and child protection.

The feast of Guardian Angels is not just about heavenly spirits. It is about earthly responsibility. God appointed angels as guardians, but He also appointed us as guardians for one another. Be a guardian angel to your own children and those under your care. Presence is more than provision. Know where your children are. Listen to them. Protect their innocence.

May the Holy Guardian Angels of all Nigerian children, especially those kidnapped, trafficked, and abandoned, guard them and bring them home in safety and good health. Amen.

✍🏾 ANGWE THOMAS, CMT

01/10/2026

REFLECTION/ THURSDAY OF THE 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A (II) 1/10/2026

SOLEMNITY OF OUR LADY QUEEN & PATRONESS OF NIGERIA

First reading: Isaiah 11:1-10.

Psalm: 72:1-2.7-8.12-13.17

Second reading: Ephesians 2:13-22

Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15,19-23

Theme: Our Freedom is in Christ Through Mary

Beloved people of Nigeria,
Today we celebrate two birthdays at once: the birth of Nigeria as a free and independent nation, and the motherhood of Mary over this blessed nation. And the Church asks us: what is true freedom?
Freedom is not just independence from man, but freedom by God. The prophet Isaiah says: "A shoot shall come from the stump of Jesse." Jesse is the father of David. At that time, the family of David was like a cut-down tree - no king, no power, no hope. Israel was in exile. (Ish. 11). But God says, from that dead stump, a new branch will grow. That branch is Christ. And He will bring perfect peace where enemies sit together: "wolf and lamb, leopard and goat."
My brothers and sisters, this is our story. On October 1st, 1960, we became politically free. But a cut tree can still be in bo***ge inside - bo***ge to tribalism, corruption, poverty, fear, insecurity, etc. Political independence without Christ is not yet freedom. Isaiah tells us true freedom is when Christ, the new Branch, grows in our hearts.

From the second reading today, we are made to understand that freedom is bought by blood, and not just by flag (cfEphesians 2). St. Paul says: "You who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. He is our peace, He has broken down the wall of division." Before Christ, there was a wall - between Jew and Gentile, between slave and free. The Cross broke that wall.
Today in Nigeria, we have built many walls: wall between Igbo and Hausa, Christian and Muslim, rich and poor. The blood of our heroes gave us a flag, but only the Blood of Christ can break these walls and make us one family, one household of God. We are no longer strangers, but fellow citizens.

From the Gospel text of today, we see that freedom comes through Mary, who protects our freedom (cf Matthew 2). The Gospel shows us Mary in flight. Herod wants to kill the child. So God says to Joseph: "Take the child and His mother and flee to Egypt." And later: "Take them back to Israel." Notice this: God entrusts the freedom of the world (Christ Jesus our Savior) into the hands of Mary. When Jesus was too small to walk, Mary walked for Him. When He was in danger, Mary carried Him to safety.
This is why she is Patroness of Nigeria. A nation is like a child, always in danger from Herods - Herods of bad leadership, violence, insecurity and hopelessness. God has given us Mary to carry us. She carried Jesus from Egypt to Nazareth, from danger to fulfillment. She will carry Nigeria from fear to future, if we stay in her arms and continuously seek her maternal intercessions.

Finally, what is our freedom? It is not just to do what we want. It is the power to become what God wants us to be; a holy nation - God's own people. Our freedom is in Christ, because only He breaks our walls with His blood. And our freedom is through Mary, because she protects and carries that Christ-life in us. As we raise our flag today, let us raise our Rosary too in prayer, asking Mary through whom it pleased God to give to us the author of freedom to look with pity upon us and interceed for our country Nigeria.
Mary, Queen and Patroness of Nigeria, pray for us.

✍🏾 Obi Anthony, CMT

30/09/2026

REFLECTION/ WEDNESDAY OF THE 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A (II) 30/09/2026

MEMORIAL: St Jerome, P.D

First Readings: Job 9:1-12, 14-16

PSALM: 88: 10-15

Gospel: Luke 9:57-62

Theme: God’s Hand in a Hard Season

Dear friends, in todays first reading, we see Job, a righteous man crushed by loss he did not deserve, cries out today, "How can a man be justified before God?" It is the cry of someone who has done nothing wrong and yet finds the ground giving way beneath him. Many of us in Nigeria are familiar with that cry. We know what it is to work hard, to pray daily, to raise our children in the fear of God, and still watch the naira lose its strength, fuel increase dramatically, still bury loved ones taken too soon by insecurity or by our so called civil security agency, patients killed by a hospital bill we could not raise, still wonder where the next school fees or the next meal will come from. Job's question is our question on more nights than we care to admit.

Yet the Gospel meets that cry with a hard and honest word. Three people offer to follow Jesus, and to each He gives no easy comfort; only the truth that discipleship costs something now, not someday. "No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." This is a farmer's image, and it is a Nigerian image. Any farmer in Benue or in Kano will tell you: the moment you turn your head while ploughing, the furrow (seed trench) bends. The field will not wait for your doubts to settle.

This is our national and spiritual condition today. We are a people ploughing a hard field: economic hardship, the ache of insecurity in our villages and highways, the daily temptation to give up on this country or to give up on faith in God itself. And Christ's word to us is not "wait until it is easier," but "keep your hand on the plough." Dear friends, Do not look back in despair. Do not look back in bitterness. Look forward, because the God who let Job question Him did not abandon Job. He restored him in due time. The same God has not abandoned Nigeria.

St Jerome, whom we honour today, spent decades in a cave in Bethlehem, often frustrated, often in poor health, wrestling (translating) Hebrew and Greek into Latin so that ordinary people could hold the Word of God in their own hands. He famously said that “ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” In a season when our nation is tempted to place its hope in politicians, in relocation abroad, or in despair, Jerome reminds us where our hope actually stands: in the Word that does not change with the exchange rate, in the God who was faithful to our fathers and mothers before us and remains faithful still.

So today, whatever furrow you are ploughing: a struggling business, a marriage under strain, a job lacking essential benefits, a child you are training in a difficult country, a community rebuilding after loss; do not look back. God's hand has been in every step that brought us this far, through civil war, through military rule, through every hard transition, and His hand is in this present hour too, even when, like Job, we cannot fully see it.

Let us pray that our Lord, who walked with Job through his darkest questions, will walk with our families, and walk with our nation Nigeria today. Steady our hands on the plough. Where we are tempted to look back in despair, may God give us courage to look forward in faith. Bless our families, our work, our leaders, and our land, and let His faithful hand be seen again in our time. Amen.

✍🏾 Owolabi David, CMT

29/09/2026

THE ORDINATION MASS OF THE Catholic Diocese of Bauchi, Nigeria

Congregation Of Mother Teresa CMT

08/10/2026

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