Egameni likaYise, neleNdodana, neloMoya oNgcwele. Kwangathi umusa nokuthula kukaNkulunkulu uBaba wethu neNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu kungaba nani nonke.
Nkosi, usihawukele. Kristu, usihawukele. Nkosi, usihawukele.
Ake sicabange ngomzuzu othule kakhulu. Cabanga ngomfana omncane ehlezi ethulile, ephethe ikhampasi noma ibalazwe elikhulu lezindiza. U-Benjamin Vo wayengumfana owayethanda ukubheka kude, hhayi nje ngamehlo akhe, kodwa ngengqondo yakhe ecijile. Wayebheka izindiza ze-Boeing 737 hhayi njengensimbi nje, kodwa njengamaphiko okubona umhlaba. Kulo mfana, umhlaba wawungumsebenzi kaNkulunkulu, into okufanele ifundwe, iqondwe, futhi ithandwe. Namuhla, uSaint Paul usikhumbuza eqinisweni elinzima kodwa elibalulekile esifundweni sokuqala: 'Uma kukhona phakathi kwenu ozibona ehlakaniphile kuleli zwe, makabe yisiphukuphuku ukuze abe ngohlakaniphile.'
Leli gama 'isiphukuphuku' lizwakala lixaka, akunjalo? Kodwa uSaint Paul usitshela ukuthi ukuhlakanipha kwethu komuntu akulutho phambi kukaNkulunkulu. U-Benjamin wayehlakaniphile ngendlela emangalisayo; wayengumfana owayekwazi ukubhekana nezibalo zebanga lesishiyagalombili esesebangeni lesine, owayengena emhlabeni we-AI ne-DevOps ngesikhathi abanye besadlala nje. Kodwa ubuhlakani bakhe obukhulu babungeyona leyo ncwadi; babungukuthobeka kwenhliziyo yakhe. Wayengumfana owayezimisele ukunikeza konke ayenakho—njengalapho etshela abazali bakhe ukuthi ufuna ukunikela ngayo yonke imali yakhe yasebhange (piggy bank) ukuze asize umalume wakhe u-William owayegula. Akazange aliphule lelo bhange, kodwa inhliziyo yakhe yayivele ikwenzile ukuzidela. Lolo thando olumsulwa, lowo musa ongazenzisiyo, yiwona 'mqondo kaKristu' ohlakaniphile ngempela.
Kodwa kufanele sikhulume iqiniso namuhla. Sekuphele izinyanga ezimbili manje. Kusukela ngalelo langa lika-June 13, 2026, isikhathi sibonakala sishintshile. Izinyanga ezimbili zokubheka isihlalo esingenalutho. Izinyanga ezimbili zokuzwa ukuthula endlini lapho kwakufanele kube khona umsindo wokugigela kuka-Ben ngenkathi ekhuluma nge-'Con Chim Airlines'. Usizi lufana nomthwalo osindayo. Alan no-Thao, ngiyazi ukuthi izinhliziyo zenu zizizwa zomile, njengomhlabathi odinga imvula. Niyazibuza ukuthi ingabe kukhona okungaphezulu enanikwenza. Niyazibuza ukuthi kungani lo mfana omuhle, owayephila ngothando, kumele ahambe. Ngicela nilalele kahle namuhla: Ukugula akulona iphutha lenu. UNkulunkulu akakaze akubeke icala. U-Benjamin akakubeki icala. Nenze konke okusemandleni enu ngothando olumsulwa. Susa lowo mthwalo wokuzisola enhliziyweni yakho, ngoba uNkulunkulu akakubheki ngokwahlulela, ubheka uthando olugcwele enhliziyweni yakho.
Bhekani eVangelini lanamuhla. UJesu ucela uSimoni ukuba aphume aye 'emanzini ajulile' (deep water). USimoni ukhathazekile, uthi basebenze ubusuku bonke bengabambanga lutho. Kodwa uthi, 'Ngiyokwenza njengomyalo wakho.' U-Benjamin wayengumfana owayethanda ukuzama, owayekholelwa ukuthi 'ukuzama yikho konke okubalulekile.' Wayengumfana owayeyindiza, owayefuna ukufinyelela emazulwini. Lapho uJesu ethi 'phuma uye emanzini ajulile,' akasho nje ukudoba; usho ukungena ekujuleni kothando lukaNkulunkulu lapho konke ukwesaba kuphela khona. U-Benjamin manje usekulolu lwazi olujulile. Akasaboshwa yizibhedlela, akasaboshwa yimishini. Usekhululekile, njengendiza endiza phezulu ngaphandle kwemingcele.
Ryan, mfowabo omncane, u-Ben uyamthanda. U-Ben uyambona njengoba ukhula. Ungalokothi uzizwe ungedwa, ngoba uthando lwenu luyisibopho esingasoze saphuka. U-Ben uyaziqhenya ngawe. Qhubeka uphila ngesibindi, ube yindoda efana naye—enomusa, enesibindi, nenhliziyo evulekile. Khumbula ukuthi nina nobabili nifana nezindiza ezimbili ezindiza ngokubambisana; umoya kaNkulunkulu ubanikeza amandla.
Kubo bonke abazali abathwele iziphambano ezifanayo, nabantwana abagulayo emhlabeni jikelele: UNkulunkulu uyanibona. Akabheki nje izinyembezi, kodwa ubheka ukholo lenu. U-Benjamin Đại Dương Vo—igama lakhe elisho 'Ulwandle Olukhulu'—useyisiphephelo sothando lukaNkulunkulu. U-Ben use-Banquet of Heaven, eceleni kuka-Saint Carlo Acutis, esikhulekela sonke. Njengoba u-Ben ayethanda ukusiza abanye, uthando lwakhe lusaqhubeka lugeza umhlaba ngaleyo 'Giếng Gioan Baotixita'—umthombo wamanzi ahlanzekile owakhiwe egameni lakhe, olethela ukuphila kwabanye abantu.
Njengoba niphuma lapha namuhla, ngicela nenze into eyodwa encane. Lapho ubona izindiza zindiza, noma lapho ubona inyoni, yima kancane. Zitshele ukuthi: 'Nkosi, ngiyabonga ngempilo ka-Benjamin.' Khumbula ukuthi impilo yakhe yayiyisipho, futhi uthando lwakhe lusaqhubeka lugeza umhlaba njengolwandle olukhulu. Benjamin, lala ngokuthula. Uthando lwakho luyisibani esingasoze sacima. 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.
Kwangathi iNkosi inganibusisa, iqaphe izinhliziyo zenu, futhi iniphe ukuthula okudlula konke ukuqonda. Hamba ngokuthula kukaKristu.
✝ May almighty God bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.