SATURDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD (10TH OCTOBER 2026)

SELECTED REFLECTIONS OF SOME MEMBERS ACROSS THE FORUM

TWENTY-EIGHT SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A

1st Reading: Isaiah (Isaiah 25:6-10a)

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: 23:1 -3a. 3b-4. 5. 6 (R.6cd)

2nd Reading: (Philippians 4:12-14.19-20)

ALLELUIA: Ephesians 1:17-18

Gospel: Matthew 22: 1-14)

Mobuogwu Francis kosisochukwu

My Reflection 

The book of Isaiah says God will prepare a big feast of the best food and wine for all people's on the mountain. He will remove the veil covering our eyes, he will swallow death forever 

And the gospel of Matthew says A king prepared a wedding feast for his son, but the invited guest refused to come. Some said i am busy with my farm, my business. So the king went to the village and invited everybody good or bad 

What God is telling us this Saturday 

1. God's plan for us is a feast not fasting, joy not sorrow,many of us think God only wants us to suffer, No prophet Isaiah says he prepare fat things full of marrow

2. The veil will be removed

3. But you must come with wedding garments, The Gospel warns you cannot come to God's feast anyhow. The wedding garment is a clean heart- repentance, forgiveness,holiness. God invites everybody but you must prepare 

God has prepared a feast for you, Not just any food the best food- joy, peace and eternal life. And this feast is not for only holy people,the bible says for " For all peoples" for you, for me , for sinners. 

 

So the question is, are you prepared?

MICHAEL BENEDICT

 My Reflection 

First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10a

Psalm: Psalm 23

Second Reading: Philippians 4:12-14,19-20

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

1. First Reading - Isaiah 25:6-10a - God Prepares a Feast

Prophet Isaiah gives us a beautiful picture. He says God will prepare for all peoples, on His mountain, a feast of rich foods and choice wines.

What does it mean?

God is not a stingy God. He is a Father who wants to celebrate with His children. The feast is heaven, but it also starts here on earth. He promises to remove the veil of sorrow and death that covers all nations. He will wipe away tears and destroy death forever.

*Reflection:* Many of us live with fear, poverty, sickness, and death. God is telling us today, "I have prepared something better for you." Are you still living in sorrow, or have you accepted His invitation to joy?

 2. Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 23:1-6 - The Lord is my Shepherd

This is a response to the first reading.

 "The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want."

If God is preparing a feast, He is also the Shepherd who leads us to that feast. He leads us to green pastures, restful waters, even when we walk through the valley of darkness, He is there.

The R. says: *"In the Lord's own house shall I dwell for ever and ever."*

This is the confidence. If you follow the Shepherd, you will not get lost. You will end up in His house - that banquet Isaiah talked about.

*Reflection:* Are you letting the Lord lead you, or are you leading yourself?

 3. Second Reading - Philippians 4:12-14,19-20 - Contentment in Christ

Paul writes from prison. He says:

 "I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich... I can do all things in Him who strengthens me."

This is powerful. Paul has found the secret. Whether there is food or no food, money or no money, he is content because Christ is his strength.

Then he assures us: "My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory."

*Reflection:*Today's world makes us complain always. No money, no job, result not good. Paul says, learn to be content in every situation, but trust that God will provide. Contentment is not laziness, it is peace while you trust God.

 4. Gospel - Matthew 22:1-14 - The Parable of the Wedding Feast

This Gospel explains the first reading.

A king prepares a wedding feast for his son and invites guests, but they refuse. Some go to farm, some to business, some even kill the servants. So the king says, go to the streets and invite everyone - good and bad.

But one man comes without a wedding garment, and he is thrown out. *"Many are called, but few are chosen."*

What does it mean?

1. The Feast is the Kingdom of God. God invites everyone, especially us Christians.

2. The people who refused are us* when we say we are too busy for God - farm, business, phone, work. No time for Mass, no time for prayer.

3. The wedding garment is our Christian life. You cannot come to God's feast anyhow. You need repentance, love, charity, holiness. Baptism gave us a white garment, we must keep it clean.

God invites all, but He expects us to be prepared.

 FINAL MESSAGE FOR YOU

All three readings talk about ONE THING: A FEAST.

Isaiah says God has prepared it.

Psalm says the Shepherd will lead us to it.

Paul says God will give us strength to get there.

But Matthew says: You must respond properly.

God has invited you. Don't give excuses. And don't come dirty.

Questions for personal reflection:

1. What excuse am I giving to refuse God's invitation?

2. Is my wedding garment (my Christian life) still clean or dirty with sin?

3. Can I like Paul say, "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me"?

 May God who has prepared a banquet for us, give us the grace to be worthy guests. Amen.

Ugochukwu Anyanwu

My Reflection 

In all, just no give up. But still dey thankful

E get as life go toss you, you go think say yur own don finish. E no go easy!

You go feel like say na you and Pharaoh soljas dey inside ocean wen Moses close am.

Life go show you shegeh com add banzah, so tey if you look up, na so so water go full yur heart.

My broda, my sista, as you dey go thru this “valley of the shadow of death,” I say make I remind you say na bcos of me and you Prophet Isaiah open mouth talk today. E want make we know say hope dey. God awa papa, never forget say we still dey. Ihm go still do am for us.

And as pipul dey use sorry eyes dey look us, God dey rewrite awa story. Ihm dey add the last sentence wey go make me and you understand say “ihm hand no far from where we don fall”

Na dis reason make me no forget Wetin Senior broda Paul talk. Tru tru, God dey look after Ihm own. Ihm know how to enter when e be like say road don block. Ihm na supplier and ihm kno wen be the propa and correct time.

See, affliction go rise, tribulation go show face. Eyes go red, hearts go break. We go ask questions, awa mind go shake, awa faith sef go even fear…

But, make we remember say this Baba God na ogbenge Baba… make we believ say try tru if we use faith and hope take wait for am den we go fit understand wetin e mean wen dem say *the Lord is my Shepherd, e no get wetin I lack* bcos Ihm go remove the veil of sorrow, shame and tears wey don cover awa face since and ihm go wipe awa tears and then we go really really kno the importance of praise wey we dey praise am. 

God abeg, open my eyes so dat I go undastand say I no dey wait in vain bcos I get faith and hope say you go turn up for me and na so so “thank you” go full my mouth, bcos na you be my everything and I no fit lack. Amen

Nzeakor Eugenia Ikeanyi

Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen.

Greetings brethren!

My little sharing comes from the Gospel.

Dear brethren! Today God invites you and I to the great banquet He prepared for us as His loving children. This feast is not for anyhow persons, it's specially for the chosen ones like you and I. Many of us seized honoring the invitations from God due to how we have chosen to be and the way we have chosen to live our lives. Dear brethren, if God finds you worthy of making you His own, then you are very privileged and fortunate. Don't you think that's a great honor to be chosen by God? When the chosen ones seized coming, God will always make ways just to fill in the gap and that's exactly what He did in the Gospel today. 

Dear brothers and sisters, when God calls you to be a co- worker in His vineyard and you feel you are too busy or not ready for God's work, God can raise even stones to occupy your space and you shall be the one to cry at last. 

My beloved, never you rejects God call or invitations if you must live a fulfilled life here on Earth. 

We are all co-workers in God's vineyard but in different fields, discover yours and be active in it, fill in the gap.

The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

May God strengthen us all and make us worthy of serving Him in Jesus name 🙏.

Blessings always

Ebonine Tochukwu Joachim MCD

My Reflection

 Introduction : 

In our first reading today Isaiah prophesies of the banquet prepared for all on the Holy Mountain. 

In the Gospel, Jesus equated the kingdom of God to a kingly banquet where all are invited. 

 *Reflection*

From these readings there are three things we can reflect on:

 *1st* : the banquet on mount Zion (the holy place where gods dwell, here, it is a meeting place where the people of Israel encounter God) and the kingly banquet represents the kingdom of God, it denotes heaven. It is an eschatological expression.

 Heaven is our planned destination, it is a place prepared for us all by God, his abode where we all are destined to be at the end of our earthly sojourn.

 *2nd*: the invitation to the banquet is for all. Our God has called all to his heavenly banquet, we are all invited no exception, no selection, no categorisation, we all, you and I have been invited specially, personally and uniquely. In the 1st reading, the prophecy was given to the people of Israel but the realisation of that prophecy seen in the Gospel was opened to all. Note that the Old Testament Israel is the people of God, just like we hear of the New Jerusalem in the New Testament. Hence, this invitation to the heavenly banquet is *Universal* and not for a selected few. 

 *3rd*: God has opened his gate to us all, it is our responsibility to respond readily. We all must be ready to dine with God in his heavenly banquet. In the Gospel we see 2 categories of unreadiness: those who vehemently refused not to come. Those who have chosen the earthly banquet to the heavenly banquet. (May we not be amongst these people) Also we see those who are gathered to the banquet but were not ready. This applies to most of us, we are Christians but are not practicing Christianity; we like to be called Christians but don't want to be Christians (does it make sense), yes, these are those gathered from around the world into the banquet but are not putting on the wedding garment. 

May we be ready at all times with our good works and deeds which proves our Christianity and readiness for that heavenly banquet prepared by God, that at the end of our life here on earth, we may be worthy to join our Father in heaven in His banquet prepared for us all. 

 Peace be with us🙏🏻

Awotoye Mathew

My Sharing 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom of God is like a wedding feast to which many are invited, but not everyone responds to the invitation. Some are too busy with their daily activities, while others reject the invitation completely.

God invites each of us to come closer to Him, but sometimes we allow work, money, pleasure, and worldly concerns to distract us from His presence. The wedding garment represents the right disposition of heart, a life of faith, love, repentance, and obedience to God.

As Christians, it is not enough to hear God’s call; we must also respond to it through our actions and the way we live. Let us not take God’s invitation for granted or allow the distractions of this world to separate us from Him.

SATURDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD (OCTOBER 3, 2026)

 INSPIRING REFLECTIONS FROM MEMBERS

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

1ST READING: Isaiah 5:1-7

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Psalm 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

TONYLAZ ADOYI 

REFLECTION

The Message: God Will Ask For Fruits

Brothers and Sisters,

The whole liturgy today uses one imagery VINEYARD.

In Isaiah, God is a lover who did everything for His vineyard - He dug it, cleared stones, planted choice vines, built a tower, made a winepress. He expected sweet grapes but got sour grapes. And He asks: "What more could I have done?"

That is God speaking about you.

Think of your life. God has done everything for you. He gave you life, faith, Catholic home, health, education, made you a Knight / Lady. He expects fruits.

In the Gospel, Jesus goes deeper. The vineyard is now leased to tenants  the leaders of Israel, but also us. The owner sent servants - the prophets  they were beaten. He finally sent His Son, thinking they will respect Him. They killed Him. This is the prophecy of Jesus' own death.

The point is clear: We are not owners, we are caretakers.

Everything you have,your family, your money, your position in KSM, your parish - is not yours. It is leased to you by God. One day He will send for His harvest.

 Pax Christi.

ITOHAN MERCY IMOLE

REFLECTION

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on how we respond to God’s love, trust, and expectations. 

In the first reading, God describes Israel as a carefully tended vineyard. He provided everything necessary for it to produce good fruit, yet it produced wild grapes. This reminds us that God continually gives us His grace, opportunities, and blessings, but He also expects the fruits of justice, righteousness, love, and obedience in our lives.

The Gospel presents a similar message through the parable of the wicked tenants. The owner entrusted his vineyard to them, but instead of producing fruit, they rejected and mistreated those sent to collect what belonged to the owner. The son was eventually killed. Jesus reminds us that being entrusted with God’s gifts is also a responsibility. We are not owners of our lives and blessings in an absolute sense; we are stewards, called to use them faithfully and for the good of others.

St. Paul gives us the practical way to live this calling: do not allow anxiety to control us, but bring everything to God in prayer and thanksgiving. We are also encouraged to fill our minds with what is true, honourable, just, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise.

The central question for us today is therefore: What kind of fruit is my life producing? Am I producing love, forgiveness, kindness, justice, peace, and faithfulness, or am I producing selfishness, resentment, dishonesty, and indifference? God has planted each of us in His vineyard and has entrusted us with gifts, relationships, responsibilities and opportunities. May we not disappoint Him, but continually produce fruits that reveal His presence in our lives.

O Lord, make our lives a fruitful vineyard. Give us the grace to remain faithful to You, to care for what You have entrusted to us, and to produce fruits of love, justice, righteousness, and peace. Amen 🙏

JUDE AKITI 

REFLECTION 

My reflection today goes to those who have been influenced by the persuasive teachings from some of  our separated brethren who believe “ once saved is always saved”. This remains a point of debate among Christians today. But today's readings help us understand something important. God chose us when we were still sinners. We did nothing to deserve Him chosen us, true. Salvation was given to us freely, not because of our own achievements or good works. God called us into His vineyard and gave us the opportunity to be saved by His grace through Faith. But after we have been called, after we have been planted, cultivated and nurtured, what is expected of us? We are expected to grow and produce good fruit.

Agriculture gives us a beautiful picture of our relationship with God. The farmer prepares the soil, removes the stones and weeds, provides water, and does everything necessary for the plant to grow. In the same way, God has provided almost everything we need for our Christian life. He has given us His Word, His Church, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Sacraments, communion with Himself, the help of His angels, and good people who come into our lives. His Word is available to us, and His grace is constantly offered to us. Regardless of our background or status, God has given us what we need to grow. What remains is our response to that grace. This is where works of faith come in.

The fruit is not for the tree itself. The fruit is for others to see, appreciate and enjoy. So we should ask ourselves: How is the world benefiting from the fact that I am a child of God? What fruit am I producing? What can people see in my life? St. Paul gives us the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). These fruits should not simply be an outward display. If you are gentle, gentleness should grow within you. If you are meek, meekness should become part of who you are from the inside. If you have love or self-control, it should not only appear when people are watching. These are fruits that should come from within because the tree itself is same component of the fruit it bears. When there is no good fruit, there is a deficiency in the formation of the plant.

This is why we cannot simply say, I have been saved, so it no longer matters how I live. God has called us freely, but He also expects us to be useful, remain faithful and bear fruit. Jesus Himself spoke about branches that do not remain in Him and do not bear fruit. He also cursed the fruitless fig tree, and it withered. St. James tells us that “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:17). Our works do not buy salvation for us; rather, they are the fruit of a living faith and our cooperation with God's grace. When we deliberately remain in sin without repentance, we are not growing. We are refusing to produce the fruit God expects from us. Therefore, let us not only rejoice that we have been called and redeemed. Let us grow. Let us remain in Christ. Let us produce good fruits. So that when the Master comes at harvest time, He will find in us the fruit that belongs to Him and reward us for our faithfulness. 🙏

JUDE OKORO

REFLECTION 

Dear friends in Christ, God has done everything for us. What fruit are we giving back? Jesus uses the image of the vineyard to describe His people. Why, because a vineyard is not a wild bush, it is planted, chosen, cared for, pruned, protected and expected to produce. The Church which is you and I, we are not accidents we are God's deliberate plantation.

The Prophet Isaiah sings a love song but it all ends in Pain. Dear friends, look at God's effort, He dug it by preparing our lives, He cleared the stones by removing the obstacles, He planted choice vines, by giving us his grace, the sacraments, faith, and even good families, He built a watchtower, by giving us His protection, His Church, and His angels. But in the end what did the vineyard produce? Wild grapes, sour, and useless. Dear friends in Christ after Baptism, Masses, Confessions, even the word of God, what is our life producing? Is it the sweet grapes of justice, forgiveness, purity, honesty? Or wild grapes of gossip, corruption, sexual immorality, and hatred?

Sincerely without the grace of God We cannot produce good fruits alone. We need God to visit us again and again in all we do.

This climax of God's love and man's wickedness is shown in the Gospel reading, where God gives everything to us, even His Son, and we still rejected Him when He asked us to turn from our evil ways, and if we do not, the kingdom of God will be taken away from us and given to the people producing the fruits of it. The vineyard is not our property. It is God's property, we are only tenants, sincerely if we do not produce, God can give our opportunities, our gifts, our place to others.

Finally, dear friends in Christ, St. Paul tells us how to stop producing wild grapes. Let us learn to root our life in prayer, because by prayer and supplication only can our requests be known to God.  Wild grapes come from anxiety, competition, trying to survive on our own. But sweet grapes come from peace that passes all understanding. Let us equally learn to guard our mind, anything that is true, honourable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, these are things we should always think about, because, what you feed your mind is what your life will produce. If you feed on, gossip, bitterness, you will produce wild grapes. If you feed on what is true and pure, you will produce Christ. Finally, learn to live what you have learnt, in Christ because what you have learned and received and heard and seen in Christ, do it.Christianity is not just knowledge. It is doing. The tenants knew what the owner wanted, but they did not do it. 

Let us pray to the Lord to forgive us for the wild grapes of our lives, let Him visit us His vine again, let Him prune us and help us to produce fruits worthy of His Kingdom. Amen.

Oh that today you would listen to His voice, harden not your hearts. 

May God bless His words in our hearts through Christ our Lord. Amen.

GENEVIEVE NWANERI 

REFLECTION 

The first reading reminds us of how much God has done for you and I and how much He expects from us in return. Just like the vineyard owner carefully prepared his vineyard and expected it to produce good grapes, God has given us His love, blessings, opportunities and guidance so that our lives can bear good fruits.

It makes us reflect on the kind of fruit we are producing. Are we showing love, kindness, honesty, justice and compassion to others? We are reminded that God does not only want us to only receive His blessings but also to use them to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

May we always allow God to prune away whatever is not pleasing to Him and help us become fruitful in all that we do. Amen.

NNEKA UKATU

REFLECTION 

The prophet isaiah is calling our attention to our not good relationship with God. God is the owner of the vineyard. it's heartbreaking that this vineyard is fertile, and it has what it takes to produce good and quality grapes, yet it yielded wild grapes.

A story: During the planting season, a farmer hired labourers who cleared a farm land and planted different kinds of farm produce. He planted plenty of corn, potatoes and yams. He was very happy seeing how good the plants were while growing.  He waited the corn to flower and produce corn with enthusiasm.  One day, the farmer went to the farm to harvest corn.  He saw that all the corn, some potatoes, and yams were destroyed. If you are the farmer, will you be happy after all the expenses, time, and strength that was put to plant.? 

God wants us to see what we are doing or what we have done and respond to His question, "What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?" and repond In a way that would be fair and just. 

God waits expectantly for our development and expects a great harvest.

SATURDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD (SEPTEMBER 26, 2026).

INSPIRING REFLECTIONS FROM MEMBERS

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

1ST READING: Ezekiel 18:25-28

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Psalm 25:4-5.6-7.8-9(R.6a)

2ND READING: Philippians 2:1-11

GOSPEL: Matthew 21:28-32

                               NWAFOR CECILIA 

REFLECTION

Because he considered and turned away

In today's reading God is correcting us, both the righteous and the sinful. To the one who considers him or herself righteous, be vigilant and steadfast in your faith. He encouraged us not to go astray in our journey to salvation because if we do, all the good things we have achieved, the souls we have won for Christ will be forgotten because He is the God that judges what happens today and not yesterday. In the same way, He will forgive the one who has committed different atrocities in the past when  the person  recognizes his short comings and decides to turn a new leaf.

MALACHY UCHENNA OKPALA

REFLECTION

THE SPIRIT OF GENUINE HUMILITY

“Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves”

Beloved, today’s Second Reading reminds us of what it truly means to live a genuine Christian life.

Saint Paul calls us to build a community rooted in unity, selflessness and humility—pointing us directly to the ultimate example: Jesus Christ. Though He was divine, He emptied Himself and became obedient even unto death on the cross. He showed us that true greatness in God’s kingdom comes through humble submission and selfless service.

Humility always beats pride.

Let us strive to put on the mind of Christ daily by:

1. Emptying ourselves of pride and self-conceit.

2. Embrace humility in our daily interactions.

3. Put others first through acts of love and service.

May the Lord grant us the grace to emulate Christ, give us the spirit to live as true and faithful witnesses to His love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏 

May the Lord bless His Word in our hearts!

MICHAEL UMANDE

REFLECTION 

The first reading begins that we humans think that God is not just in His ways but the psalmist gives us the right approach, and that's to ask God to make his ways known to us. Rather than judge, we should ask for direction. The second reading tells us to have the mind of Christ, in other words, to follow the ways of Christ, the path of unity and humility. The Gospel reading concludes that the tax collectors and the harlots are making their way to heaven before the so-called chief priests. What's stopping you from making heaven?

PADDY KEVWE

REFLECTION

If we keep seeing the most hardened sinner as condemned, we may be surprised that they are actually struggling to be good while we wallow in pride because we feel we are better than them. Jesus tells us, they (harlots and tax collectors) will enter heaven before us.

And so, let us focus more on ourselves and pray for the grace of God to help Us have a total turn around with a positive change of heart to the glory of God. Amen.

Shalom.

PHILIP OKOYE

REFLECTION 

Greetings , ladies and gentlemen , brothers and sisters.

In the readings for this 26th Sunday in ordinary time, we are called to embrace a life of humility and obedience to God and sincere repentance irrespective of how much we might have wallowed in sins.

The first reading teaches that God never delights in the death of sinners. Instead, He loves and welcomes us whenever we have a change of heart and embrace His invitation to repentance. Hence, we are being encouraged never to allow our past lives define who we are. And we should understand that sincere repentance, confession and contrition are all that is needed for reconciliation with God regardless of our filthy past.

Likewise in the gospel reading, Christ teaches us the need to completely do away with self-righteous that could get us alienated from embracing His invitation to repentance and conversion. 

On this, Christ emphasizes the need for us to be concerned with the acceptance of His invitation to repentance through obedience and resoluteness. This means that we can not claim to love God and at the same time be blinded by ego and pride in disobedience to Him. That is, there is no other substitute for obedience to God and sincere repentance from sin.

In conclusion, we can only be good christians if we always seek to be in good standing with God. This is by striving for repentance whenever we have fallen. As doing this goes a long way in the reconciliation of our christian lives, with the ultimate goal of eternal life we seek at afterlife. 

Prayer: May God grant us the grace to embrace repentance in a way that our words and actions can always match so that the love and reverence we have for God can always be seen in how we live our christian lives... Amen.

 COMFORT MARY EDEWOR

REFLECTION 

The First reading is telling me  that God expects fidelity from the man who has encountered him and already knows the truth and is living a righteous life. If such a man becomes corrupted by the world and turns away from God, all the good he has done in the past will not save him.

What often sounds unfair to us is the case of the man who has lived a wicked life but eventually turns away and begins to live righteously. God ignores all he has done in the past and considers him based on his new life.

This as the psalmist says Is God's mercy in action. The Good Thief is a perfect example of this kind of profound divine mercy.God is always ready to show mercy to the one who is sincerely willing to renounce their wicked ways.

The second reading is St Paul's admonition for  unity among Christians, allowing love, not selfishness or pride to determine their lifestyle.

The Gospel reading is reminding us of the necessity to match our words with relevant actions. At baptism we make several vows, including rejection of Satan and all his works. That vow cannot guarantee our salvation if we don't match what we vowed with what we do. Meanwhile there are those who do not make any of such vows but in their daily lives demonstrate the love of God and neighbor as preached in the Gospel.

May God help us to know the importance of daily conversion that we may remain sure citizens of heaven.

OCCF Social Friday - Celebrating Our September Members Across the Forum

 

At OCCF, we celebrate our members collectively at the end of the month, collate their intentions and have our Spiritual Director (Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ) and his Assistant (Fr. Toby Ndiukwu) offer the Holy Mass for them.

We wish them many happy and fruitful returns...

Parabéns, dear members, and many blessings!

Meet our celebrants😁🥰

Malachy Uchenna Okpala

BIRTHDAY 

D.O.B - Sept 24

State of Origin - Anambra

Status - Married

Christian Angeles

BIRTHDAY 

D.O.B - Sep 21

State of Origin - Imo

Status - Single

Uzo Josephine Chika

BIRTHDAY 

D.O.B - Sept 1st

Status - Married

Ezelibe Oluchi

BIRTHDAY 

D.O.B - Sept 27th

State of Origin - Anambra

Status - Married

Francis Emmanuella Onyinyechi

BIRTHDAY 

D.O.B - Sept 2nd

State of Origin - Imo

Status - Married

Bibiana Uzoigwe

BIRTHDAY 

D.O.B - Sept 9th

State of Origin - Imo

Status - Married

Rosemary Ibazebo 

BIRTHDAY 

D.O.B - Sept 24th

State of Origin - Edo

Status - Single

SATURDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD (19TH SEPTEMBER, 2026)

 INSPIRING REFLECTIONS FROM MEMBERS

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

1st Reading: (Isaiah 55:6-9)
RESPONSORIAL PSALM  (145:2-3. 8—9. 17-18 (R.18a)
2nd Reading: (Philippians 1:20c-24.27a)
Gospel: (Matthew 20: 1-16)

Nzeakor Eugenia Ikeanyi. 

REFLECTION 

So The Last Will Be The First And The First Last.

Greetings Brethren!

God has spoken to us yet again.

In the first reading, Prophet Isaiah advised us to seek the Lord while He is still near to us, we should try to find God's face while it is still possible. It is not only when you are in problems or in need that you seek God's face. You seek God's face by forsaking your evil ways, obeying the Heavenly principles and living Christ-like life.

In the second reading, St Paul is telling us how important it is to live for Christ, how important it is for us to honor the Lord with our body. 1st Cor. 3:16 tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, meaning that even this our body is not even ours, it belongs to the Holy Spirit of God, so we are meant to keep it always worthy of indwelling of the Spirit of God. 

In the Gospel, the householder used what he has for charity. He found the needy ones and helped them with what he has. He didn't bother checking whether they merited it or not, he simply rendered helping hands on them. 

The question is, do you help those you are better than? Do you truly love and care for the people around you? All these and many more you are to ask yourself and then take a self examination. 

Live every moment of your life as if it's your last moment on earth.

It is not easy but with God all things are possible.

Blessings always!

Augustine Udofa

REFLECTION 

1st Reading: This reading is advising me to seek the Lord while He can be found, and call upon Him while He is near. In other words, the reading is asking me to stop procrastinating, renounce my sinful ways, embrace the mercy of God and not to continue to take God for granted, for God's ways and thoughts are certainly not mine. For when I can say "nothing can happen, something can actually happen".

The Book of Numbers 21:4-9 is a good example of the fact that God's ways and thoughts aren't mine. Now, God was steadily doing something positively in the life of the Israelites. But instead of appreciation, they lost their senses and assumed that God's ways and thoughts are theirs and started complaining against God and His servant. They paid the price.

2nd Reading: We should honour God with our bodies because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (God). That's why St. Paul says in Romans 14:8 - 'if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die we belong to the Lord. We must therefore glorify God with our bodies and let our manners be in accordance with the Gospel of Christ Jesus.'

Glory to Jesus, honour to Mary and Joseph.

Francisca Ekwegbalu

REFLECTION 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BEGRUDGE GOD'S GENEROSITY?

 Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard teaches that God’s generosity is not measured by human ideas of fairness or merit. 

To begrudge God’s generosity means to become resentful when God blesses others, especially when we feel they have received more than they deserve.

The parable reminds us that God’s grace is a gift, not a reward we earn.

Instead of comparing ourselves with others, we are called to rejoice in God’s goodness to everyone.

Sometimes, like the workers who laboured all day, we may look at another person’s blessing and think, “Why should they receive so much when I have worked so hard?” This attitude can make us forget the blessings we ourselves have received.

God invites us to move from comparison to gratitude. His generosity toward another person does not diminish His love for us.

When we learn to celebrate the blessings of others, we reflect the heart of a God whose grace is abundant and freely given.

Lord, free my heart from jealousy and comparison. Help me to be grateful for Your blessings and joyful when You bless others. Amen.

Angela Igbinazaka 

REFLECTION 

The first reading shows the big difference between how weak we are as humans and how merciful God is.

God calls anyone who has done wrong to make a real change and turn away completely. To forsake means to leave something totally, not just manage it a little.

This change must happen in two places: in our actions (what we do) and in our thoughts (how we think). God does not just want us to behave better on the outside; He wants to change the thinking inside us that makes us behave badly.

When we do this, God responds in two ways: He shows mercy by not giving us the punishment we deserve, and He gives full forgiveness by giving us the pardon we do not deserve.

For example, a businessman who cheated his partners cannot just start a new business and say he has repented. True repentance is going back to say sorry, paying back what he stole, and leaving behind the dishonest thinking that made him cheat in the first place. That is when he will receive God's forgiveness.

God says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts." The way humans think is different. We trade favour for favour, we want revenge, and we are limited by our past hurts. We often think God is like us.

We think that because our boss, spouse, or society has rejected us, God has also rejected us. We wrongly think God acts like a man. For example, a lady who has had several abortions may think, "God can never use me again." That is human thinking based on shame. God's thinking is different, He can forgive her and make her a counselor to help other young women, using her past pain to help others.

The picture of the heavens being higher than the earth shows that God's plans are far better and higher than our own plans. His ways are not just different, they are higher, better, and more powerful.

What we see as God saying "no" is often God redirecting us to something better. What we call delay is often God preparing us for the right time.

For example, you may have applied for a promotion or a visa and were refused. To you, it looks like failure. But from God's higher view, He saw danger ahead maybe that department would soon sack workers, or that country would bring you suffering. So He protected you. You were praying for God to open a door, but God was protecting you from a trap behind that door.

So stop trying to control God. Truly turn away from sin, leave behind your own small plans, and trust His higher and loving control over your life.

Egwuatu Simon-Derah

REFLECTION 

When Grace Defies Human Calculation.

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).

The readings today challenge us to surrender our human calculations to the surprising generosity of God.

In the vineyard, some worked all day while others arrived at the last hour, yet all received the same wage, and this I called "a picture of grace, not human competition".

In our generation, we often measure life by salary, titles, possessions, achievements, followers, and recognition. Even among Christians, we sometimes ask, “Why should that person be blessed when I have struggled for so long?”

But God does not distribute grace according to our human mathematics; His generosity is rooted in love and mercy.

Paul reminds us that whether in life or death, our deepest purpose must remain Christ, not personal achievement.

A contemporary Christian is therefore called to celebrate another person’s success without feeling diminished by it. When another rises, we need not fall; when another receives mercy, our own portion of God’s love is not reduced. The world needs Christians who can replace envy with gratitude, 

comparison with contentment, and competition with compassion.

Let us therefore seek the Lord while He may be found, trust His wisdom, and faithfully serve in whatever vineyard He has placed us.

For in God’s kingdom, the greatest wealth is not what we receive, but the grace to love, serve, and remain faithful.

 Shalom.

Bibiana Uzoigwe

REFLECTION 

The striking line for me today is "Seek Seek the Lord while He is still to be found."

 

The first reading is opening our minds to the urgency or "now"- syndrome of holding on to God in total surrender.

 

To seek the Lord while He may be found means that now, while we are still breathing, alive, and energised, there is a need for us to give our all in total surrender to the Almighty.

We must avoid every form of procrastination, because we do not know the time or the hour when life may suddenly put us on hold.

There may come a time when the opportunities we have today—to pray, to repent, to forgive, to reconcile, to serve, to love, and to draw closer to God—may no longer be available to us.

The invitation is therefore not for tomorrow; it is for now."

We must consciously avoid the "I will do it later" - syndrome. We often say, “I will do it tomorrow. I will pray more tomorrow. I will reconcile tomorrow. I will return to God tomorrow." Most times we even make excuses to justify our decision - "I am tired! "Work was hectic! God will understand and so on. Unfortunately, tomorrow is not promised to anyone. We are just being hopeful as Christians and Children of God. 

Isaiah reminds us that God is near, and the time to seek Him is now. Our relationship with God should not be postponed until we are in trouble, until we are old, or until life leaves us with no other option.

While our hearts still beats, let us surrender. While He may be found, let us return to Him.

This verse should be our wake up call

“Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.”

— Isaiah 55:6

Hmmmm.... the greatest tragedy is not that we did not find God, but that we kept postponing the search when He was already near.

Shalom

SATURDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD (SATWOG– SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2026) INSPIRING REFLECTIONS OF MEMBERS

 

Laity Reflections for 24th Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A

1st Reading: Sirach 27:30;28:7

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2;3-4;9-10;11-12 (R. 8)

2nd Reading: Romans 14:7-9

Gospel Acclamation: John 13:34

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35