ISonto lama-22 ngesikhathi esijwayelekile

Ake sicabange ngomzuzu owodwa othule, umzuzu lapho umhlaba ubonakala ume kancane. Cabanga ngomfana omncane, ubuso bakhe bukhanyiswe ukukhanya kwesikrini sekhompyutha ebusuku, noma mhlawumbe amehlo akhe ebheke phezulu esibhakabhakeni esiluhlaza. Kulezo zikhathi, u-Benjamin wayengabheki nje izinto ezivamile. Wayebheka ukuthi umhlaba usebenza kanjani. Wayebheka amakhodi e-AWS, ezama ukuqonda ubunkimbinkimbi be-cloud infrastructure, noma elandela indlela indiza i-Boeing 737 edabula ngayo amafu. Kukhona into eyayivutha ngaphakathi kuye—umlilo wokufuna ukwazi, umlilo wobuhlakani obungavamile, nomlilo wothando olungazigodli. Lowo mlilo, bazalwane, yiwo esihlangana nawo namuhla emibhalweni engcwele, umlilo ofanayo owawusemathanjeni omprofethi uJeremiya.

Namuhla, uJeremiya usitshela amazwi abuhlungu kodwa aqotho kakhulu: 'Ungikhohlisile, Nkosi, nami ngavuma ukukhohliswa; wawunamandla kakhulu kunami, wanqoba.' Cabanga ngalokho kuthembeka okungaka kuNkulunkulu. UJeremiya uzizwa ekhungathekile. Uzizwa sengathi isisindo sezwi likaNkulunkulu simenze waba yinhlekisa kubantu. Kodwa nali iphuzu elibalulekile: lapho ethi, 'Ngeke ngisaphinda ngikhulume ngegama lakhe,' uthola ukuthi akakwazi. Kungani? Ngoba izwi likaNkulunkulu liba 'njengomlilo ovuthayo enhliziyweni yami, ovalelwe emathanjeni ami.' Lona umlilo wobizo, umlilo weqiniso, umlilo wokuphila u-Benjamin Đại Dương Vo ayewuphethe ngendlela yakhe ethule kodwa enamandla.

U-Benjamin wayengumfana owayengaphili nje ngenhloso yokuba khona, kodwa owayephila ngenhloso yokukhula. Cabanga ngobuhlakani bakhe—umfana owenza izibalo zebanga lesishiyagalombili esebangeni lesine! Lokhu akukhona nje ukuhlakanipha kwencwadi; kuwumlilo wokufuna ukwazi uNkulunkulu awubeke emqondweni wakhe. Wayengu-'photocopy' kayise, u-Alan, hhayi nje ngokubukeka, kodwa nangalelo phupho elingenamingcele. Lapho u-Benjamin ekhuluma nge-'Con Chim Airlines', lowo mamatheko wakhe omnene noku-gigela kwakhe kwakungasho nje into yokudlala. Kwakuyisibonakaliso somoya ofuna ukundiza, umoya ongafuni ukuboshwa phansi, kodwa ofuna ukufikelela ezindaweni eziphakeme kakhulu. Lowo mlilo osemathanjeni akhe wawumqhuba ukuba afunde i-AI ne-DevOps eneminyaka eyishumi nanhlanu kuphela, izinto abantu abadala abazithola zinzima.

Kodwa namuhla, bazalwane, kufanele sikhulume iqiniso elibuhlungu ngaphambi kokuba sifune induduzo. Sekuphele izinyanga ezimbili manje. Kusukela ngalelo langa elinzima 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 isihlalo esingenalutho etafuleni. Kukhona ukuthula endlini lapho kwakufanele kube khona umsindo wezingxoxo zika-Ben ngezindiza noma ngemibono emisha yebhizinisi. Usizi lufana nomlilo oshisayo, kodwa lona umlilo obuhlungu, umlilo odla inhliziyo lapho ukhumbula ukuthi ngeke usamuzwa egigela kuleli hlobo.

Ihubo lanamuhla lithi: 'Mphefumulo wami womela wena, Nkosi Nkulunkulu wami... njengomhlabathi owomileyo, ogwadule, ongenamanzi.' Alan no-Thao, ngiyazi ukuthi izinhliziyo zenu zizizwa kanjalo namuhla. Zomile ngenxa yokukhumbula. Zomile ngenxa yezinyembezi ezingapheli. Lowo mlilo owawumathanjeni ka-Benjamin manje usushintshe waba yingxenye yomthwalo wenu. Niyazibuza ukuthi kungani lo mlilo wokuphila ucishwe masinyane kangaka. Niyazibuza ukuthi kungani uNkulunkulu evumele ukuthi lo mfana omuhle kangaka, onenhliziyo ethambile kangaka, ahambe kuseyisikhathi esincane.

Kwesinye isikhathi, kulo mnyama wosizi, kukhona izwi elinyonyobayo enhliziyweni yomzali. Izwi elibuhlungu elithi: 'Ingabe kukhona esikuphuthelwe? Ingabe kukhona okungaphezulu esasingakwenza njengabazali? Ingabe lokhu ukugula kwakuyisijeziso?' ... 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, sithola umzuzu onzima phakathi kukaJesu noPetru. UJesu uqala ukutshela abafundi bakhe ukuthi kufanele ahlupheke, abulawe, bese evuka ngosuku lwesithathu. UPetru, ngenxa yothando lwakhe ngoJesu, uthi: 'God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.' UPetru wayefuna ukuvikela uJesu ebuhlungwini. Njengani nina, Alan no-Thao, enanifuna ukuvikela u-Ben. Kodwa uJesu uphendula ngamazwi abukhali: 'Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.'

Lawa mazwi awasho ukuthi uPetru mubi, kodwa asikhumbuza ukuthi umbono kaNkulunkulu mkhulu kakhulu kunombono wethu wobuntu. Thina njengabantu sibona ukufa njengesiphelo, njengokulahlekelwa, njengomnyama. Kodwa uNkulunkulu ubona 'ukuvuka ngosuku lwesithathu'. UNkulunkulu ubona umlilo wokuphila ungafi, kodwa ushintsha isimo. U-Benjamin akalahlekanga; usefikile lapho umlilo wakhe wokufuna ukwazi ungasadingi isikrini sekhompyutha noma isibonakude. Manje usebona uNkulunkulu ubuso nobuso. Usemazweni aphakeme kakhulu kune-Boeing 737.

UJesu uthi: 'Noma ngubani ofuna ukuza emva kwami, kumele azidele, athwale isiphambano sakhe, angilandele.' U-Benjamin, ngendlela yakhe ethule, wasikhombisa ukuthi kusho ukuthini ukuba nenhiziyo ezidela. Khumbulani lowo mfana oneminyaka eyishumi nanhlanu owayezimisele ukunikeza yonke imali yakhe ayeyigcinile kuleyo 'piggy bank' yakhe ukuze asize umalume wakhe u-William. Akazange aliphule lelo bhange ngoba kwakungasadingeki, kodwa inhliziyo yakhe yayisivele ivulekile. Wayesevele ekwenzile ukuzidela enhliziyweni yakhe. Lolo thando olumsulwa, lowo musa ongazenzisiyo, yiwona mlilo uNkulunkulu awufunayo kithi sonke.

Esifundweni sesibili, u-Saint Paul uyasincenga: 'Ngethule imizimba yenu njengomhlatshelo ophilayo, ongcwele futhi othandekayo kuNkulunkulu.' U-Benjamin wayeyilo mhlatshelo ophilayo. Impilo yakhe, nakuba ibonakala imfushane kithi, yayiphelele ngenxa yothando ayenalo. Wayengazange avume ukufana nalesi sikhathi samanje (do not conform to this age), kodwa wayevuselelwe emqondweni wakhe. Wayebona umhlaba ngamehlo kaNkulunkulu—umhlaba ogcwele amathuba, ogcwele ubuhle, nogcwele umusa.

Ngikhuluma nani namuhla, nina enikude, nina enithwele iziphambano ezifanayo. Mhlawumbe ukhona omunye umzali lapha olalele ebusuku, ozwa lobu buhlungu obufanayo. Mhlawumbe ukhona omunye umntwana ogulayo ozwa sengathi umlilo wakhe uyacima. Lalelani: u-Benjamin Đại Dương Vo use-Banquet of Heaven manje. Useceleni kuka-Saint Carlo Acutis. Laba bafana ababili, ababehlakaniphe kangaka ngobuchwepheshe, manje basebenzisa lowo mlilo wabo ukusikhulekela. Basebenzela ukuthi odokotela bathole amakhambi, nokuthi imindeni ithole amandla. U-Benjamin akakushiyile, Ryan. U-Ben useyindiza yakho ehamba phambili, ekuholela ekukhanyeni kukaNkulunkulu.

U-Benjamin wasishiyela 'Con Chim Airlines'—iphupho lezinyoni nezindiza. Izinyoni azidingi injini ukuze zindize; zidinga kuphela ukwethemba umoya. U-Benjamin manje usephila kulelo themba eliphelele. Usekhaya lapho kungekho khona ukugula, lapho umoya wakhe ungasaboshwa yilutho. Usephumule emthombweni wothando, njengamanzi omthombo we-Giếng Gioan Baotixita ambiwe egameni lakhe e-Vietnam, eletha ukuphila kwabanye.

Njengoba niphuma lapha namuhla, ngifuna nenze into eyodwa encane. Lapho ubona inyoni indiza, noma lapho ubona indiza idabula esibhakabhakeni, yima kancane. Ungabheki nje ubuchwepheshe obuyindizisayo. Bheka umlilo wokudala kaNkulunkulu. Zitshele ukuthi: 'Nkosi, ngiyabonga ngempilo ka-Benjamin, owasikhombisa ukuthi umqondo ohlakaniphile nenhiziyo ethambile kungaba yinto eyodwa.' Khumbulani ukuthi uthando lwenu kuye luyisipho esingasoze saphela. U-Benjamin Đại Dương Vo, lala ngokuthula mntwana wethu. Umlilo wakho usavuta ezinhliziyweni zethu, futhi uthando lwakho lusaqhubeka lugeza umhlaba njengolwandle olukhulu.

Kwangathi iNkosi inganipha ukuthula okudlula konke ukuqonda, namuhla nangezinsuku ezizayo. Amen.