Siyanibingelela nonke egameni likaYise, nelikaNdodana, nelikaMoya oyiNgcwele. Kwangathi umusa weNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu, nothando lukaNkulunkulu, nokuhlanganyela kukaMoya oyiNgcwele kungaba nani nonke.
Nkosi, hawukela thina. Kristu, hawukela thina. Nkosi, hawukela thina.
Ake sicabange ngento encane kakhulu, into evame ukuhlala eshalofini ekamelweni lomntwana. Cabanga ngaleyo 'piggy bank'—isikhwama semali esincane, mhlawumbe senziwe ngobumba noma ngeplastiki, esigcina izinhlamvu zemali eziqoqwe kancane kancane. Lapho uyibuka ngaphandle, ungase ubone nje into yokudlala noma umhlobiso. Kodwa ngaphakathi, kukhona okuthile okwakhiwe ngokuzikhandla, ngokulinda, nangamathemba amancane. Leyo 'piggy bank' ayigcini nje imali; igcina inhliziyo yomnikazi wayo.
Namuhla, eVangelini likaMathewu, uJesu ukhuluma amazwi abukhali kakhulu ngalokho okungaphandle nalokho okungaphakathi. Ubiza ababhalisi nabaFarisi ngokuthi 'mathuna acakiweyo'. Cabanga ngaleso sithombe: ithuna elipendwe mhlophe qwa, elikhazimulayo elanga, elibukeka lihlanzekile futhi lihloniphekile. Kodwa uJesu uthi, uma ungavula lelo thuna, ungathola ukufa kuphela. Ukhuluma ngobuzenzisi—lapho indlela esibukeka ngayo emhlabeni ingahambisani neze nalokho okusezinhliziyweni zethu.
Lona umfanekiso onamandla osimema ukuba sibheke ukuthi yini ngempela ebalulekile phambi kukaNkulunkulu. Ingabe uNkulunkulu uhlatshwa umxhwele yizakhiwo ezinhle esizakhayo, noma uhlatshwa umxhwele yilokho okusezulwini lenhliziyo yethu?
Uma sibheka impilo ka-Benjamin Vo, sibona umehluko omkhulu kulokho uJesu akugonayo namuhla. U-Benjamin wayengumfana owayenobuhle obubili: ubuhle bengqondo obukhanyayo, nobuhle benhliziyo obujulile. Wayengu-'photocopy' kayise, u-Alan, hhayi nje ngokubukeka, kodwa nangesifiso sakhe sokusebenza kanzima, njengoba uPawulu ekhuluma ngakho esifundweni sokuqala. U-Ben wayengesabi ukuzikhandla. Wayengumfana owenza i-math yebanga lesishiyagalombili esebangeni lesine. Wayengumfana owawungamthola ecwilile emhlabeni we-AI, i-DevOps, ne-cloud infrastructure eneminyaka eyishumi nane kuphela. Lokhu kwakuyingaphandle lakhe elikhazimulayo—ubuhlakani obumangalisayo obabungasebenza njengesibonelo kunoma ubani.
Kodwa, bazalwane, u-Benjamin wayengafani nalawo 'mathuna acakiweyo' uJesu akhuluma ngawo. Ngaphakathi kuye, kwakungelona 'ukufa', kodwa kwakuwukuphila okumsulwa. Inhliziyo yakhe yayingaphindwe kabili; yayingenawo amacebo afihliwe. Futhi nali iqiniso elithinta inhliziyo yami kakhulu namuhla: khumbulani isenzo sakhe esincane, kodwa esikhulu, esiphathelane naleyo 'piggy bank'.
Lapho umalume wakhe u-William ehlaselwa yisifo sohlangothi (stroke) kabili, u-Benjamin, eneminyaka eyishumi nanhlanu kuphela, akazange alinde ukuba abazali bakhe bacele usizo. Akazange azame ukubukeka emuhle phambi kwabantu. Ngokuzithandela, watshela umama nobaba wakhe ukuthi uzimisele ukunikeza yonke imali yakhe ayeyigcinile kuleyo 'piggy bank' yakhe ukuze asize umalume wakhe. Akazange aliphule lelo bhange ngoba kwakungasadingeki, umalume wayenomshwalense. Kodwa nali iqiniso: u-Benjamin wayesevele eliphulile enhliziyweni yakhe. Wayesevele ekhiphe konke.
U-Ben wasikhombisa ukuthi 'ingaphakathi' lakhe lalinjani. Kwakungekhona ukuzenzisa. Kwakunguthando olumsulwa, lolo hlobo lothando uJesu alufunayo kithi sonke. U-Benjamin Đại Dương Vo, ogama lakhe lisho 'Ulwandle Olukhulu', wayenomusa oguqukayo njengolwandle, ongenamingcele.
Sekuphele izinyanga ezimbili manje. Kusukela ngalelo langa lika-June 13, 2026, isikhathi sishintshile. Izinyanga ezimbili zokungamuzwa u-Ben ekhuluma ngezinhlelo zakhe ze-'Con Chim Airlines'. Izinyanga ezimbili lapho u-Alan, u-Thao, no-Ryan bezwa ukungabikho kwakhe kuyo yonke imigudu yendlu. Kufanele sikhulume iqiniso: lobu buhlungu abukapholi. Kunalokho, kunezikhathi lapho buzwa kakhulu manje kunasekuqaleni. Usizi lufana nomoya wasolwandle; kwesinye isikhathi luyaphuza, kodwa kwesinye isikhathi luyashaya lube namandla lapho ubona into encane—mhlawumbe ikhodi ayeyibhala, noma isithombe sakhe emdlalweni we-badminton.
Kwesinye isikhathi, kulo mnyama wosizi, kukhona izwi elinyonyobayo enhliziyweni yomzali. Izwi elithi: 'Ingabe kukhona esingakwenzanga? Ingabe ukugula kwakuyisijeziso?' ... Ngicela nilalele kahle namuhla. UJesu, lapho ekhuza abaFarisi, ukhuluma ngokuthi uNkulunkulu akabheki kuphela lokho abantu abakakhayo ngaphandle, kodwa ubheka umusa. Nifuna ukwazi iqiniso? Ukugula kuka-Benjamin kwakungesona isijeziso. Kwakungelona iphutha lenu, Alan no-Thao. UNkulunkulu akathumeli ukugula kubantwana bakhe. Kunezinto emhlabeni ezenzeka ngaphandle kokulawula kwethu, kodwa uNkulunkulu uhlale ekhona phakathi kwazo. Nenze konke okwakungasekelwa uthando. Susa lowo mthwalo wokuzisola. U-Benjamin akakubeki cala; usemamatheka, ekhululekile, futhi egcwele uthando lwenu ayeluzwa nsuku zonke.
Nali 'ithuba' (The Turn) lethu namuhla. Esifundweni sokuqala, uPawulu uthandazela abaseThesalonika ethi: 'Kwangathi iNkosi yokuthula uqobo lwayo ingakunika ukuthula ngaso sonke isikhathi nangezindlela zonke.' Lokhu kuthula akusona nje ukungabikho komsindo. Ukuthula kukaKristu kutholakala lapho sibona ukuthi u-Benjamin akasekho ethuneni 'elicakiweyo'. Akasekho lapho kufihlwe khona ukufa. U-Benjamin usekuphila okungunaphakade.
Leya 'piggy bank' ayengazange ayiphule emhlabeni, manje isivulekile eZulwini. Konke lokho kukhanya kwakhe, konke lokho kuhlakanipha kwakhe, nokuphana kwakhe, manje sekuyingxenye yengcebo yoMbuso kaNkulunkulu. U-Ben use-Banquet of Heaven, eceleni kuka-Saint Carlo Acutis. Cabanga nje laba bafana ababili—bobabili abahlakaniphe kangaka ngobuchwepheshe, bobabili abaneminyaka eyishumi nanhlanu, bobabili abanezinhliziyo ezazivulekele uNkulunkulu. Manje basebenza ndawonye, bekhulekela abacwaningi nodokotela ukuze kutholakale ikhambi lalesi sifo, ukuze omunye umndeni ungabe usahamba le ndlela ebuhlungu.
Kuwe Ryan, mfowabo omncane: Ngiyazi ukuthi uyamkhumbula umfowenu owayengumngane wakho omkhulu. Khumbula ukuthi u-Ben wayengumuntu wezenzo, hhayi nje wamazwi. Lapho ubona lowo mthombo wamanzi (well) osembiwe e-Vietnam egameni lakhe, i-Giếng Gioan Baotixita, yazi ukuthi lolo uthando luka-Benjamin olusaqhubeka lugeleza. Wayefuna ukunika 'imali yakhe yesikhwama' (piggy bank money) ukuze asize umalume; manje, egameni lakhe, kunikezwa amanzi aphilayo kubantu abampofu. Lokhu kukhombisa ukuthi umfowenu akakaze abe 'yithuna'—uhlale eyisiphethu sokuphila.
Alan no-Thao, uNkulunkulu unibona kulezi zinyanga ezimbili zokulinda. Akabheki nje 'ingaphandle' lenu elizama ukuqina ngenxa ka-Ryan; ubheka 'ingaphakathi' lenu lapho nithanda khona u-Benjamin ngendlela engapheli. Ningaphelelwa yithemba. INkosi yokuthula inani. U-Ben usekhaya, futhi ngosuku olulodwa, nani niyohlangana naye kulelo dili lapho kungekho khona ukugula, lapho konke okufihliwe kuyovela ekukhanyeni.
Kubo bonke abazali abathwele iziphambano, nabantwana abagulayo abalalele kude: UNkulunkulu uyanithanda. Anidwa. Benjamin no-Saint Carlo basikhulekela sonke.
Njengoba niphuma lapha namuhla, ngifuna nenze into eyodwa encane. Cabanga ngaleyo 'piggy bank' ka-Benjamin. Cabanga ngenhliziyo yakhe eyayithi 'konke enginakho kungokwakho'. Kuleli sonto, yenza isenzo esisodwa somusa esingenziwa ukuze ubonwe ngabantu, kodwa esenziwa ngenhliziyo emsulwa. Mhlawumbe ukusiza umuntu ogulayo, noma ukunikeza okuncane onakho komunye odingayo. Lapho wenza lokho, uhlonipha impilo ka-Benjamin, futhi ukhombisa uJesu ukuthi inhliziyo yakho ayilona ithuna, kodwa iyindawo yokuhlala uMoya oyiNgcwele.
Benjamin Đại Dương Vo, lala ngokuthula mntwana wethu. Inkanyezi yakho isakhanya, futhi uthando lwakho lusaqhubeka lugeza umhlaba njengolwandle olukhulu.
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.
INkosi mayisibusise, isivikele kukho konke okubi, futhi isiyise ekuphileni okungunaphakade. Kwangathi ukuthula kukaNkulunkulu okudlula konke ukuqonda kungagcina izinhliziyo zenu nezingqondo zenu kuKristu Jesu. Amen.
✝ May almighty God bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.