The Catholic community of St. Paul’s Parish, Tafoki, gathered on Sunday, 27 September 2026, to celebrate the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, with the faithful reflecting on Christ’s call to sincere obedience and putting faith into action.
Celebration of the Holy Mass
The liturgical celebration commenced at 9:00 a.m. with a procession led by Rev. Fr. Musa Abubakar, accompanied by the seminarian, catechist, lay readers and altar servers.
The parish choir led the congregation in singing the Kyrie and Gloria in the local language, after which the celebration continued with the Liturgy of the Word and the readings appointed for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The Gospel according to Matthew 21:28–32 was proclaimed by Rev. Fr. Musa Abubakar.
“Are We Truly Willing to Answer God’s Call?”
In his homily, Rev. Fr. Musa Abubakar reflected on the Parable of the Two Sons, in which one son initially refused his father’s request but later changed his mind and went to work, while the other agreed to go but eventually did not.
The priest used the parable to challenge the faithful to examine their personal response to God’s call.
He asked whether Christians are genuinely willing to answer Christ’s call or whether their words and actions sometimes communicate different responses.
Rev. Fr. Abubakar emphasized that Christianity is not simply about saying the right things or appearing religious before others. Rather, authentic Christian discipleship requires obedience to God and the willingness to put faith into action.
He explained that a person may say “yes” to God with their lips while continually saying “no” through their actions. Conversely, someone who may have previously lived far from God can experience conversion, turn back and sincerely begin to do God’s will.
Faith Must Be Expressed Through Action
The priest encouraged the faithful to examine their motives for following Christ, asking whether they follow Him because they genuinely love Him and desire to do His will or whether their motivation is centred on personal gain, recognition or “eye service.”
He reminded the congregation that the Christian life must be rooted in sincere faith, obedience and genuine service to God, rather than merely outward appearances.
Human Judgment and God’s Final Judgment
Rev. Fr. Abubakar further referred to the reflections of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen on the surprises that may await people on the last day.
The reflection points to the possibility that some people whom human beings may not expect to see could be among those welcomed by God, while others whom people expect to see may not be found there.
This served as a reminder that human judgment is limited, and that what ultimately matters is the sincerity with which each person responds to God and lives out his or her Christian faith.
The celebration therefore offered the faithful of St. Paul’s Parish, Tafoki, an opportunity to reflect on the difference between merely professing faith and actually living according to the will of God, with a renewed call to authentic Christian discipleship through obedience, conversion and service.
