Egameni likaYise, nelikaNdodana, nelikaMoya oYingcwele. Sengathi umusa weNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu, nothando lukaNkulunkulu, nokuhlangana kukaMoya oYingcwele kungaba nani nonke kulo mthandazo wethu wokukhumbula u-Benjamin Vo.
Nkosi, hhawu, siyakuvuma ukuthi siba buthaka kulo mhlaba; Nkosi, sihawukele. Kristu, wena owathi abantwana mabeze kuwe; Kristu, sihawukele. Nkosi, wena osipha ithemba lokuphila okungunaphakade; Nkosi, sihawukele.
Bazalwane abathandekayo, emndenini ka-Benjamin, nakubo bonke abahlanganyele nathi kulolu suku lokukhumbula u-Saint Bartholomew, uMphostoli.
Ake sicabange ngomfanekiso ofudumele kakhulu: umthunzi womkhiwane. Cabanga nje ngomuntu ohlezi ngaphansi kwawo, kuthule, kude nomsindo womhlaba, efuna nje isikhathi sokucabanga, sokuthandaza, noma sokubona izinto ezijulile ezingabonwa emini ebhaqile. Kulo mthunzi, kukhona ukuthula. Kukhona ukuzazi. Kukhona ukuba wedwa noNkulunkulu.
Namuhla, eVangelini likaJohane, sihlangana noNathanaeli—esimazi futhi njengoBartholomewu. Uhlezi ngaphansi komkhiwane lapho uFiliphu emthola khona. Lapho uJesu embona eza kuye, usho amazwi amangalisayo: 'Bheka, nangu um-Israyeli oqotho, okungelona inkohliso kuye.' UNathanaeli uyamangala, abuze: 'Ungazi kanjani?' UJesu amphendule ngokuthi: 'Ngikubonile uphansi komkhiwane.'
Leli gama—'Ngikubonile'—yilona eliyinhliziyo yomyalezo wethu namuhla. Ukubonwa nguNkulunkulu. Hhayi nje ukubukwa phezulu, kodwa ukwaziwa ngaphakathi, ezindaweni ezijulile zenhliziyo lapho thina bantu singakwazi ukungena khona.
Uma sicabanga ngo-Benjamin Vo namuhla, sibona umfana owayehlala 'ngaphansi komkhiwane' wakhe. U-Ben wayengumfana onomqondo ojulile, ohlakaniphe ngokumangalisayo, owayengachithi isikhathi sakhe ngezinto ezingenalutho. 'Umkhiwane' wakhe kwakuyizwe lakhe lezobuchwepheshe, ama-algorithms, i-AI, ne-cloud infrastructure. Lapho abanye abantwana babedlala nje, u-Benjamin wayebuka phezulu, ehlaziya, efunda izinto abantu abadala abazithola zinzima. Wayenaleyo 'vision', lowo mbono wokubona indlela izinto ezisebenza ngayo.
Kodwa uJesu akazange ambone uBen ngenxa yobuhlakani bakhe kuphela. Wamubona ngoba, njengoNathanaeli, u-Benjamin wayengumuntu 'ongenankohliso' (no duplicity). Wayengumfana omsulwa. Wayengumfana onenhliziyo ethambile, emamatheka njalo, ohlonipha abazali bakhe ngendlela ethinta inhliziyo. U-Alan no-Thao, uNkulunkulu wambona u-Benjamin ngaphambi kokuba nina nimbone. Wayemwazi ngaphambi kokuba azalwe, futhi wayemazi kulezo zikhathi ezithule lapho ayenza khona izinhlelo zakhe ze-'Con Chim Airlines' noma lapho ayebuka khona izindiza ze-Boeing 737 zindiza esibhakabhakeni.
Sekuphele izinyanga ezimbili manje. Kusukela ngalelo langa lika-June 13, 2026, isikhathi sibonakala simile. Izinyanga ezimbili zokubona isihlalo sika-Ben singenalutho. Izinyanga ezimbili zokuzwa ukuthula endlini okwakufanele kube nomsindo wokuhleka nokukhuluma kwakhe ngezinhlelo zakhe. Kufanele sikhulume iqiniso: lobu buhlungu bunzima. Abuzange bube lula ngoba sekudlule izinsuku ezingamashumi ayisithupha. Kunalokho, usizi luya ngokujula njengoba uqaphela ukuthi lo mngane, lo mntwana, lo mfowethu, akasekho lapha ngenyama.
Kwesinye isikhathi, kulo mthunzi wosizi, inhliziyo iqala ukuzibuza: 'Ingabe uNkulunkulu usangibona? Ingabe usasibona thina Alan no-Thao kulo mnyama?' ... Lalelani kahle amazwi kaJesu. 'Ngikubonile uphansi komkhiwane.' UNkulunkulu unibona kulezo zikhathi lapho izinyembezi zigobhoza ebusuku. UNkulunkulu uyanibona lapho nibuka izithombe zika-Benjamin, nikhumbula ukumamatheka kwakhe. Akukho nanhodlana yobuhlungu benu engabonwa yiNkosi.
UJesu uthi kuNathanaeli: 'Ngenxa yokuthi ngithe ngikubonile... uyakholwa? Uzobona izinto ezinkulu kunalezi.' Nali 'ithuba' (The Turn) lethu namuhla. U-Benjamin wayengumfana owayethanda ukubona izinto—wayethanda i-aviation, wayethanda ukubona umhlaba njengoba ehamba ne-'perfect four' yakhe eBeijing, eTokyo, naseVatican. Kodwa manje, u-Benjamin ubona izinto 'ezinkulu kunalezi'.
Esifundweni sokuqala sencwadi yeSambulo, ingelosi ikhombisa uJohane idolobha elingcwele, iJerusalema elisha, lehla livela ezulwini kuNkulunkulu. Libhalwe ukuthi: 'Lalikhanya ngenkazimulo kaNkulunkulu; ukukhanya kwalo kwakunjengegugu eliyigugu kakhulu.' Cabanga nje, u-Benjamin, owayethanda ukuhlela izinhlelo (architecture) zama-cloud ne-DevOps, manje usephakathi kwe-architecture ephelele kaNkulunkulu. Izindonga zedolobha zinezisekelo eziyishumi nambili, ezinamagama abaphostoli abayishumi nambili—kuhlanganise nelika-Saint Bartholomew. U-Benjamin usekhaya manje. Akasahlali ngaphansi komkhiwane womhlaba obuna ngenxa yokugula; uhleli ngaphansi komuthi wokuphila okhanya phakade.
Ngifuna ukunikhumbuza into eyodwa encane ngo-Ben ekhombisa ukuthi kungani uJesu ethi 'akukho nkohliso kuye'. Khumbulani lapho eneminyaka eyishumi nanhlanu, u-Ben etshela abazali bakhe ukuthi uzimisele ukunikeza yonke imali yakhe esebhange lakhe elincane (piggy bank) ukuze asize umalume wakhe u-William owayegula. Akazange aliphule lelo bhange ngoba kwakungasadingeki, kodwa inhliziyo yakhe yayisivele ikhiphe konke. Lowo mnikelo wentando—leyo nhliziyo eyayithi 'konke enginakho kungokwakho'—yilokho uNkulunkulu akubonile.
Benjamin Đại Dương Vo. Igama lakhe elithi 'Đại Dương' lisho ulwandle olukhulu. Namuhla, lolo lwandle lothando lwakhe lusaqhubeka lugeza izinhliziyo zethu. Noma ngabe kuse-Cà Mau e-Vietnam lapho kumbiwe khona umthombo wamanzi (Giếng Gioan Baotixita) egameni lakhe, uthando luka-Ben lusaqhuma njengamanzi aphilayo. Lokhu kuyisibonakaliso sokuthi impilo yakhe, nakuba ibonakala imfushane kithi, iphelele phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
Kuwe Ryan, mfowabo omncane ka-Ben: Lapho uJesu ethi 'uzobona izulu livulekile, nezingelosi zikaNkulunkulu zenyuka zehla phezu kweNdodana yoMuntu,' ukhuluma nangebhuloho phakathi kwethu nalabo esibathandayo. U-Benjamin akakude. Uhlale eyileyo ngelosi ekubhekile. Lapho ubona izindiza zindiza phezulu, khumbula ukuthi u-Ben usephakeme kakhulu kune-Boeing 737. Usephakeme kakhulu kunoma iyiphi indiza yomhlaba. Uhleli no-Saint Carlo Acutis, laba bafana ababili abahlakaniphile manje abangabangane ePharadesi.
Alan no-Thao, kukhona into eyodwa engifuna ukuyisusa ezinhliziyweni zenu namuhla. Kwesinye isikhathi, usizi lusilethela umthwalo wokuzibuza ukuthi 'ingabe kukhona esingakwenzanga?'. Lalelani uJesu lapho ekhuluma ngoNathanaeli. Wamubona 'ngaphansi komkhiwane' ngaphambi kokuba abizwe. UNkulunkulu uyasazi isikhathi sethu sonke. Ukugula akusikho ukwahlulela, futhi akukho phutha lomuntu elingashintsha uthando lukaNkulunkulu. Benjamin wayethandwa, unakekelwa, futhi nenze konke umzali ongakwenza. Susa lowo mthwalo wokuzisola. U-Ben akakubeki cala; usemamatheka, ekhululekile, ekuphupho lakhe le-ice cream lapho yena ekhokhela uyise. Usekhule ngokomoya manje, unamandla, futhi ukulungele ukunibheka.
Kubo bonke abalalele kude, ikakhulukazi imindeni enezingane ezibhekene nezinselele ezinzima: UNkulunkulu uyanibona 'ngaphansi komkhiwane' wenu. Uyanibona lapho nizizwa nisedwa. Izulu livulekile. Kukhona ithemba elingaphezu kokufa.
Njengoba niphuma lapha namuhla, ngifuna nenze into eyodwa encane. Lapho ubona umthunzi wesihlahla, noma ubona inyoni indiza ngokukhululeka, yima kancane. Thatha umoya ojulile. Khumbula ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyakubona, njengoba ambona u-Benjamin. Khumbula ukuthi u-Ben usekhaya, futhi ngosuku olulodwa, nathi siyobona 'izinto ezinkulu kunalezi' lapho siyohlangana khona naye futhi.
U-Benjamin Vo, umfana wethu ohlakaniphile nonomusa, manje usephakathi kwezisekelo zamatshe ayigugu zaseJerusalema elisha. Uhlala phakade enkazimulweni yoMbuso kaNkulunkulu.
Lala ngokuthula, Benjamin. Sizohlangana lapho izulu lingasavalwa khona. Amen.
For the intentions entrusted to Ben on our prayer wall:
Ngosizo loMsindisi futhi sifundiswe yimfundiso yaphezulu, silokotha sithi:
Baba wethu osezulwini, malingcweliswe igama lakho; umbuso wakho mawuze, intando yakho mayenziwe emhlabeni njengasezulwini. Siphe namuhla isinkwa sethu semihla ngemihla, usithethelele izono zethu, njengoba nathi sibathethelela abasonayo; ungasifaki ekulingweni, kodwa usikhulule ebubini. Amen.
Sengathi uNkulunkulu angasipha amandla okuhamba ethembeni lokuphila okungunaphakade, futhi u-Benjamin Vo angaphumula ngokuthula enkazimulweni yakhe. Egameni likaYise, nelikaNdodana, nelikaMoya oYingcwele. Amen.
✝ May almighty God bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.