Egameni likaYise nelikaNdodana nelikaMoya oyiNgcwele. INkosi mayibe nani njengoba sihlangana ukuzodumisa uNkulunkulu nokuphakamisa impilo ka-Benjamin Vo othandekayo.
Nkosi, ube nemusa kithi. Kristu, ube nemusa kithi. Nkosi, ube nemusa kithi.
Ake sicabange ngomzuzu owodwa ofudumele, umzuzu obhalwe phansi esithombeni kodwa ohlala unaphakade ezinhliziyweni. Cabanga ngekamelo elihlotshiswe ngamabhaluni anemibala egqamile. Phakathi nendawo, kukhona ikhekhe losuku lokuzalwa elikhanyiswe amakhandlela. Futhi lapho, eduze kwelo khekhe, kukhona u-Benjamin. Ubuso bakhe bukhanyiswe yilo lolo kukhanya okufudumele kwamakhandlela. U-Ryan, umfowabo omncane, useduze kwakhe, bobabili bamamatheka kancane njengoba u-Alan no-Thao bebabuka ngothando. Lowo kukhanya okusebusweni buka-Ben akukhona nje ukukhanya kwengcina evuthayo; kuwukukhanya komndeni ohlangene, 'the perfect four', umzuzu lapho konke emhlabeni kubonakala kulungile, kukhanya, futhi kuphelele.
Lolu kukhanya kwamakhandlela lusiletha ngqo eVangelini lanamuhla. UJesu usitshela umfanekiso wezintombi eziyishumi ezaphuma ziyohlangabeza umyeni. Isibani—lowo kukhanya okuncane okulwa nobumnyama—yiso esiyinhliziyo yale ndaba. Isibani kumele sibe namandla okuhlala sivutha. Kumele sibe nento eyenza ukuthi singacimi lapho ubusuku buqhubeka bukhula. Isibani sidinga amafutha. Futhi namuhla, njengoba sikhumbula u-Benjamin Đại Dương Vo, sifuna ukubuka isibani sakhe, nesibani sethu, kuleli midnight yosizi esikuyo.
U-Benjamin wayengumfana owayenesibani esikhanya kakhulu. Wayenobuhlakani obumangalisayo obabungavamile kumfana oneminyaka yakhe. Cabanga nje, umfana owenza izibalo zebanga lesishiyagalombili esebangeni lesine! Umfana owayengangena emhlabeni we-AI, i-DevOps, ne-cloud infrastructure ngendlela efanayo neyabantu abadala. Lokhu kuhlakanipha kwakhe kwakufana nesibani esikhanyayo esidonsa amehlo abo bonke abantu. Wayengu-'photocopy' kayise, hhayi nje ngokubukeka, kodwa nangendlela umqondo wakhe owawusebenza ngayo—unengqondo, uhlelekile, futhi ufuna ukwazi konke ngomhlaba, kusukela ezindizeni ze-Boeing 737 kuya ezinhlelweni zekhompyutha ku-GitHub.
Kodwa u-Saint Paul, esifundweni sokuqala namuhla, usikhumbuza into ebaluleke kakhulu. Uthi: 'Umlayezo wesiphambano ubuwula kulabo ababhubhayo, kodwa kithi esisindiswayo ungamandla kaNkulunkulu.' UPawulu ukhuluma ngokuthi kukhona ukuhlakanipha komhlaba, bese kukhona ukuhlakanipha kukaNkulunkulu. Ukuhlakanipha komhlaba kubheka impumelelo, amaphuzu, nobuchwepheshe. Kodwa ukuhlakanipha kukaNkulunkulu kubheka uthando olusebenzayo. U-Benjamin, naphezu kwengqondo yakhe ecijile, wayenokuhlakanipha kwenhliziyo okwakujule kakhulu. Wayengahlakaniphi nje ngoba ekwazi ukubhala amakhodi, kodwa wayehlakaniphile ngoba wayazi ukuthi ungubani: wayeyindodana ethandekayo, umfowethu onomusa, nomngane othembekile.
Namuhla sikhumbula u-Saint Augustine. U-Augustine naye wayengumuntu ohlakaniphe kakhulu, owayefuna iqiniso ezincwadini nasekuhlakanipheni komhlaba iminyaka eminingi. Kodwa ekugcineni, wathola ukuthi konke lokho kuhlakanipha akunalutho uma kungenalo uthando lukaNkulunkulu. Washo lawo mazwi adumile athi: 'Izinhliziyo zethu azinakuphumula, Nkosi, zize ziphumule kuwe.' U-Benjamin, ngendlela yakhe ethule nemene, wayesekutholile lokho kuphumula. Wayengumfana owayengadingi ukuzikhukhumeza ngobuhlakani bakhe; wayemane emamatheka, ehlonipha abazali bakhe, futhi ekhombisa uzwela olungavamile. Khumbulani lowo mfana oneminyaka eyishumi nambili owayekhala ngosuku lokuzalwa lukayise lweminyaka engamashumi amane, ngenxa nje yokwesaba ukumlahlekela. Lokho akukhona 'ubuwula' komqondo; lokho 'ukuhlakanipha' kothando olujulile.
Kodwa kufanele sikhulume iqiniso namuhla ngaphambi kokuba sifune induduzo. Sekuphele izinyanga ezimbili manje. Kusukela ngalelo langa elibuhlungu lika-June 13, 2026, isikhathi sibonakala sishintshile kakhulu. Izinyanga ezimbili akusikho isikhathi eside kumakhalenda omhlaba, kodwa ku-Alan no-Thao, nakuye u-Ryan, lezi zinsuku ezingamashumi ayisithupha zizwakala njengomzabalazo ongapheli. Kukhona isikhala esikhulu endlini. Kukhona ukuthula lapho kwakufanele kube nomsindo wokuhleka kuka-Ben ngezinhlelo zakhe ze-'Con Chim Airlines'. Usizi alufani nento edlulayo; lufana ne-midnight uJesu akhuluma ngayo eVangelini. Umnyama omnyama lapho uzizwa ungedwa, lapho uzwa sengathi amafutha esibani sakho ayaphela.
Kwesinye isikhathi, kulo mnyama, inhliziyo iqala ukuzisola. Inhliziyo yomzali iqala ukuzibuza: 'Ingabe sikhuluphele ngokwanele? Ingabe kukhona esikuphuthelwe? Kungani lokhu kwenzeke kithi?' ... Ngicela nilalele kahle namuhla, ngoba leli litshe elisindayo uNkulunkulu afuna ukulisusa ezinhliziyweni zenu. Lapho abafundi bebuza uJesu ngomuntu owazalwa eyisiphofu bebuza ukuthi ngubani owonayo, uJesu waphendula wathi: 'Akuyena lo muntu owonileyo, noma abazali bakhe.' Ukugula kuka-Benjamin kwakungesona isijeziso. Kwakungelona neze iphutha lenu, Alan no-Thao. UNkulunkulu akathumeli ukugula kubantwana bakhe, futhi akukho watchfulness noma ukunakekela kwenu okwakungavimbela lokhu okwenzekile phakathi kwalezi zinto zomhlaba ezingaphezu kwamandla ethu abantu. Nenze konke umzali ongakwenza ngothando olumsulwa. U-Benjamin akakubeki cala; usemamatheka, ekhululekile, futhi egcwele uthando lwenu ayeluzwa nsuku zonke. Susa lowo mthwalo wokuzisola enhliziyweni yakho, ukhululeke ukukhala ngaphandle kokuzizwa unecala.
Nali 'ithuba' lethu namuhla (The Turn). eVangelini, kuthiwa phakathi kwamabili kwaba nokukhala: 'Bhekani, nangu umyeni! Phumani niyomhlangabeza!' Lezi zintombi ezinhlanu ezazihlakaniphile zazinamafutha ezitsheni zazo. Yini lawa mafutha? Lawa mafutha wuthando, wukholo, nomusa. U-Benjamin wayenamafutha anele. Wayengumfana owayehlale ekulungele ukusiza. Noma engazange aliphule ibhange lakhe (piggy bank) emhlabeni, inhliziyo yakhe yayisivele ivulekile ukunikeza konke ngenxa kamalume wakhe u-William. Lokho kuzinikela, lowo musa, yiwona mafutha asenza sikhanye phambi kukaNkulunkulu. U-Benjamin akazange abanjwe engakulungele. Nakuba isikhathi sakhe emhlabeni sasibonakala sifushane kithi, impilo yakhe yayiphelele ngenxa yothando ayenalo.
U-Benjamin Đại Dương Vo manje use-Banquet of Heaven. Cabanga nje ngalelo dili! Useceleni kuka-Saint Carlo Acutis, omunye umfana oneminyaka eyishumi nanhlanu owayethanda ubuchwepheshe kodwa owayethanda uNkulunkulu kakhulu kunakho konke. Basebenza ndawonye manje, bekhulekela abacwaningi nodokotela, nesiqiniseko sokuthi uthando luka-Ben lusaqhubeka lugeleza njengamanzi omthombo we-Giếng Gioan Baotixita e-Vietnam. U-Benjamin usekhaya. Isibani sakhe asisadingi amafutha omhlaba ngoba manje sikhanyiswa yinkazimulo kaNkulunkulu uqobo.
Alan, Thao, no-Ryan: Ngikhuluma nani ngqo namuhla. Ngiyazi ukuthi lobu buhlungu bunzima kakhulu kunezwi elingabuchaza. Kodwa u-Benjamin unishiyela isibonelo sokuhlakanipha okuyiqiniso. Akukhona ukuhlakanipha kokwazi konke, kodwa ukuhlakanipha kokuthanda ngokuphelele. Kuwe Ryan, mfowabo omncane: qhubeka uphila ngesibindi nangenjabulo, ngoba u-Ben ukubheka phezulu, emamatheka, ekuphusha ukuba nawe ube ngumfana onenhliziyo ehlanzekile. Ungalokothi ucabange ukuthi ungedwa; u-Ben uhlale eseduze kwakho, njengalelo kukhanya kwamakhandlela okwakusebusweni bakhe ngosuku lokuzalwa.
Kubo bonke abazali abathwele iziphambano ezisindayo kude, nabantwana abagulayo: UNkulunkulu uyanibona kulezi zikhathi zokulinda. Akabheki nje ingaphandle lenu elizama ukuba namandla; ubheka ingaphakathi lenu lapho nithanda khona abantwana benu ngendlela engapheli. Ningaphelelwa yithemba. INkosi yokuthula inani. U-Benjamin no-Saint Carlo basikhulekela sonke.
Njengoba niphuma lapha namuhla, ngifuna nenze into eyodwa encane. Kuleli sonto, lapho ukhanyisa isibani endlini yakho, noma lapho ubona ukukhanya kwelanga kungena ngefasitela, yima kancane. Khumbula ukumamatheka kuka-Benjamin. Zitshele ukuthi: 'Nkosi, ngisize ngigcwalise isitsha sami ngamafutha omusa nothando, njengoba u-Benjamin enze njalo.' Khumbula ukuthi u-Benjamin usekhaya, futhi ngosuku olulodwa, nathi siyohlangana naye kulelo dili elikhulu lapho kungekho khona ukwahlukana, lapho konke okufihliwe kuyovela ekukhanyeni.
Benjamin Đại Dương Vo, lala ngokuthula mntwana wethu. Isibani sakho sisakhanya ezinhliziyweni zethu, 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 mayonibusisa, inigcine, futhi inikhanyisele ngobuso bayo obunomusa. Kwangathi ukuthula kukaKristu kungahlala ezinhliziyweni zenu njalo. Amen.
✝ May almighty God bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.