Light for the Living

  LIGHT FOR THE LIVING THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A (2 Kings 4:8–11, 14–16; Romans 6:3–4, 8–11; Matthew 10:37–42) My beloved in Christ, In a peaceful village in Sokoto State , there lived an elderly woman called Mama Hauwa . Although she was neither wealthy nor influential, everyone in the community knew one thing about her—no one ever left her compound empty-handed. Travellers passing through the village always found a bowl of cool water waiting for them. Children returning from school with empty stomachs knew they could stop by Mama Hauwa's kitchen for a meal. Widows who had no one to repair their leaking roofs often woke up to find that someone had quietly done the work during the night. They suspected Mama Hauwa had organised it, but she never admitted it. One market day, a wealthy businessman stopped by her house. After drinking water, he asked jokingly, "Mama Hauwa, why do you waste your little food on strangers? Some of them will never...

  LIGHT FOR THE LIVING TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A (Jeremiah 20:10–13; Romans 5:12–15; Matthew 10:26–33) My beloved in Christ, In a small farming community in Adamawa State , there lived an elderly widow called Mama Kande . Though she had little in terms of wealth, everyone in the village respected her because of her deep faith in God. Every morning before sunrise, she would sit outside her mud house with her rosary and Bible, singing hymns in her soft, trembling voice. One year, severe drought struck the community. The streams dried up, crops withered, and hunger spread across the land. As the hardship worsened, some villagers began to grumble. "Where is your God now, Mama Kande?" one man mocked. Another laughed and said, "If prayer could bring rain, your compound would have become a river by now!" Even some of her relatives advised her: "Old woman, reduce this your church matter. Face reality." Mama Kande smiled qui...

  LIGHT FOR THE LIVING ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A (Exodus 19:2–6; Romans 5:6–11; Matthew 9:36–10:8) My beloved in Christ, In a rural community in Adamawa State , there lived a kind old man called Baba Tukur . He was not the richest man in the village, nor was he the strongest. Yet whenever there was a problem, everybody somehow ended up at his compound. If a roof collapsed during the rainy season, they went to Baba Tukur. If two neighbours quarrelled over farmland, they went to Baba Tukur. If a widow needed help harvesting her crops, they went to Baba Tukur. One day, a curious young boy asked him: “Baba, why does everybody come to you? Are you the village chief?” Baba Tukur laughed. “No.” “Are you the richest man?” “No.” “Then why?” The old man smiled and pointed towards the village square. “My son, look carefully.” The boy looked. He saw a blacksmith repairing a broken hoe. A teacher helping children read. A hunter protecting ...