A izwi alizange liqhume esibhakabhakeni…. kwakungekhona ukubaneka kombani, ukuzamazama komhlaba, noma umbono wamazulu evuleka ngesambulo sokuthi uNkulunkulu uyamthanda umuntu. Kunalokho, uNkulunkulu wehlela esibelethweni sowesifazane, noThando uqobo waba yinyama. Uthando lwaba yinyama. Umlayezo kaNkulunkulu waba ophilayo, ophefumulayo, obonakalayo.
UKUFUNA UTHANDO
Mhlawumbe lesi yisimo esibucayi seminyaka yethu. Hhayi ukungabi khona komlayezo. Amazulu cha! Nomaphi lapho umuntu ephendukela khona, angathola "umyalezo" wezindaba ezinhle. Ikhebula ithelevishini, umsakazo, i-inthanethi… umyalezo ukhala njengecilongo. Kepha okushodayo kuvame ukuboniswa kwalowo mlayezo: wemiphefumulo ehlangane noThando uqobo, bese iba yizitsha zalolo Thando. Singawutholaphi lo mlayezo wangeniswa namuhla?
Uma ubuKrestu buvela njengeqoqo nje lemithetho nokwenqatshelwa, uchungechunge lwezimfuno nokugcwaliseka njengendlela yokuya ezulwini, ngakho-ke akumangalisi kangako emqondweni wanamuhla. Abantu badonseleka othandweni, hhayi emfundisweni yalo; okungukuthi, badonselwa ku ubuso bothando. Abantu bakutholaphi namuhla? Ngoba impela babhekile. Yebo, bayakhala kumanethiwekhi abo okuxhumana nabantu e-intanethi, kumawebhusayithi wamavidiyo, nakumathuluzi wokuthumela imiyalezo asheshayo, abheke ukuthi aqashelwe, akhunjulwe futhi athandwe. Ngabe ukulangazelela uthando kungabonakala ngokugcwele ngesikrini sevidiyo? Cha. Eqinisweni, akukaze kwenzeke ukuthi izindlela zokuxhumana zitholakale kabanzi kangaka, futhi nokho umuntu wesimanje akakaze abe nesizungu kangaka! Ufuna uthando futhi kaningi angalutholi!
Ingabe thina maKristu siyakubona lokhu? Noma ingabe simatasa kakhulu sidlulisa izindaba ezimnandi nge-imeyili yethu? Ngabe sikhathazeke kakhulu ngokufunda izihloko zezindaba ukuze sibone ukuthi umhlaba usondele kangakanani ekuweni, noma ingabe sigijimela emaphethelweni ayo ukuze sibe ubuso bothando kulabo abakulungele ukweqa? Ngabe sixhunyaniswe nezimpawu zezikhathi, nathi uqobo, noma ngabe siba yisibonakaliso sezikhathi-isibonakaliso nesakramente loThando?
KHOMBISA UTHANDO
UNkulunkulu uluthando, nothando lwaba yinyama. Wayehlala futhi ehlala phakathi kwethu, kodwa okubaluleke kakhulu, wakhonza futhi wanikela ngokuphila Kwakhe uqobo. Incazelo yalokhu iyamangaza, futhi ihamba nayo a indlela kuwo wonke umKristu obhapathiziwe. Indlela Yothando.
Ngakho-ke, uma mina, njengomphathi nomfundisi, ngigeze izinyawo zenu, bekufanele nigezane izinyawo. Ngikunike isibonelo okufanele usilandele, ukuze njengoba ngenze kuwe, nawe wenze. (Johane 13: 14-15)
Uthando lukaNkulunkulu aluzange lubonakaliswe ngamazwi angenamuntu; akugcinanga ngeNgelosi uGabriyeli. Kwaba ngumyalezo obonakalayo umuntu angawunambitha futhi awubone. Akwanele ngathi ukukhuluma ngeVangeli; umndeni wethu nabangane kumele bheka it kithi. Kumele babone ubuso bothando, ngaphandle kwalokho, “ukushumayela” kwethu, umthandazo wethu oqotho wokuzinikela, ukuxolisa okucacile, izingcaphuno zemibhalo, njll. sengozini yokuba yinyumba, futhi kungenzeka sisebenzele ukunciphisa ngisho nokuhlambalaza esikushumayelayo.
Manje ningamalungu omzimba kaKristu, futhi uJesu ufisa ukuphila impilo yakhe engaphezu kwemvelo ngokusebenzisa nina. Kanjani? Ngaphandle kwaKhe, uJesu wathi, awukwazi ukwenza lutho. Futhi ngakho-ke kufanele nsuku zonke uthathe isiphambano sakho, uzincishe, futhi umlandele. Mlandele nsuku zonke uye eGolgotha, kwesinye isikhathi umzuzu ngamunye, ubeke phansi intando yakho, ukuzithanda wena - “mina” omkhulu — esiphambanweni. Yilethe ekufeni ukuze kuvuke Uthando olusha ngaphakathi kwakho. Lokhu akukhona ukuqedwa kobuntu bakho ukuze ube yi-zombie ehlukanisiwe. Kuyi-kenosis, ukuchithwa kwayo yonke into engeyona kaNkulunkulu empeleni kukhipha ubuntu futhi ukuhlanekezela ukuthi ungubani ngempela: indodana noma indodakazi eyenziwe ngomfanekiso kaNkulunkulu. Ngamandla kaMoya oNgcwele, uNkulunkulu ufuna ukukukhulisela empilweni entsha, indalo entsha, lapho uqobo lwangempela, olwenziwe ngomfanekiso kaNkulunkulu, kuba ngokoqobo. Hhayi nje iqiniso elingokoqobo, eliyimfihlakalo, kodwa iqiniso eliphilayo, eliphefumulayo, nelibonakalayo — elilodwa elino ubuso ukuthi umhlaba ungabona. Ngalo mqondo, mina nawe kufanele sibe shintsha uChristus, “Omunye uKristu.” Siba ubuso Bakhe abanye abomele. Futhi lapho bemthola kithi, singakhomba kumthombo we amanzi aphilayo.
UKUPHILA IVANGELI
Njengoba uhlangana nomndeni nabangane ngalezi zinsuku zokugcina zomkhosi we-Christmas Octave, mababone uthando lwakho ngaphezu kokuluzwa. Bavumele babone insizakalo yakho, ukubekezela kwakho, nokuqina kwakho; mabangezwa nje kuphela amazwi akho okuxolela kepha bayibone ngezindlela zakho, ebusweni bakho, nasekuthathekeni kwakho okuqotho kubo. Lalela, ungakhulumi nje. Vumela abanye babone ukulangazelela kwakho ukubabeka kuqala, izifiso zabo, izifiso zabo, noma ngabe ziphikisana nezakho. Vumela ukufela ukholo lwakho ukuzithanda kubonakale kubo bonke, hhayi kakhulu ngalokho okushoyo, kodwa ngokwenzayo.
Lapho-ke amazwi akho azoba yinhlokomo yothando, hhayi icilongo le-ego. Ngemuva kwalokho uzoqala ukuphulukisa isizungu esibi kumfowenu lapho eqala ukuzwa lokho futhi.
Uthando lomuntu, njengoba uKristu waba yinyama. Nikeza uthando isikhumba. Yiba ubuso bukaKristu.
Bazalwane bami, uKristu wenza uthando isitebhisi esizokwenza wonke amaKrestu akhuphukele ezulwini. Bambelela kuyo, ngakho-ke, ngobuqotho bonke, nikezane ubufakazi obusebenzayo bakhona. —USt. UFulgentius waseRuspe, I-Liturgy of the Hours Vol. 1p.1256
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