Isikhumbuzo sikaSaint Jerome, uMprista noGqirha weBandla — Izwi Losuku

Ukuvula

Igama likaYise, neloNdodana, neloMoya Oyingcwele. Makube noxolo lwasezulwini kunye nobubele bukaThixo phakathi kwethu namhlanje.

Umsindo

Nkosi, yiba nenceba kutha. Kristu, yiba nenceba kutha. Nkosi, yiba nenceba kutha.

♪ “Nkosi Sihawukele (Piano & Strings)” — A song for Ben

Ilizwi

Isifundo sokuqala · Job 9:1-12, 14-16

UYobhi waphendula abahlobo bakhe wathi: Ndiyazi kakuhle ukuba kunjalo; kodwa umntu angalungiselelwa njani phambi koThixo? Ukuba umntu angathanda ukuqina naye, angangena emacaleni akhe kanye kwiwaka. UThixo unobulumko bentliziyo namandla amakhulu; ngubani omi phambi kwakhe waphila? Ususa iintaba zingazi; uziphenqula ngumsindwakazi wakhe. Unyakazisa ihlabathi ezindaweni zalo, nezinsika zalo ziyagungqa. Uyayiyalela ilanga ukuba lingaphumi, kwaye uyazitywina iinkwenkwezi. Nguye yedwa olula izulu aphinde anyathele phezu kwamaza olwandle. Wenza iUrsa major neOrion, iPleiades nezihlwele zasemazantsi; wenza izinto ezinkulu ezingenakuhlolisiswa, nezinto ezimangalisayo ezingenakuqondwa. Ukuba angasondela kum, andimboni; ukuba angadlula, andimazi. Ukuba angandibamba ngamandla, ngubani onokumtsalisa? Ngubani onokuthi kuye, 'Ukwenza ntoni na?' Wobeka phi ukumphendula, okanye ukukhetha amagama okuxoxa naye? Nokuba bendilungile, bendingenakumphendula, kodwa bendingabetha izandla ndicela ubulungisa bakhe. Ukuba bendibize waza wandiphendula, bendingenakukholwa ukuba uyaliphulaphula ilizwi lam.

IHubo lokuphendula · Psalm 88:10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15

R. Makufike phambi kwakho umthandazo wam, Nkosi. Imihla yonke ndiyakubiza, Nkosi; ndiphakamisela izandla zam kuwe. Uzakwenza izimanga kwabafileyo na? Izithunzi ziya kusuka zivuke zikubulele na? R. Makufike phambi kwakho umthandazo wam, Nkosi. Kuthiwa na ububele bakho engcwabeni, nokunyaniseka kwakho kwabo batshabalalayo? Kumenywa izimanga zakho emnyameni, okanye ubulungisa bakho elizweni lokulibala? R. Makufike phambi kwakho umthandazo wam, Nkosi. Kodwa mna, Nkosi, ndikhala kuwe; ngumthandazo wentsasa endilindela ngawo kuwe. Yini madoda, Nkosi, ukuba undilahle; yini ukuba ufihle ubuso bakho kum? R. Makufike phambi kwakho umthandazo wam, Nkosi.

I-Vangeli · Luke 9:57-62

Kuthe besendleleni kunye nabafundi bakhe, kwakho owathi kuye, 'Ndiza kukulandela naphi na apho unga khona.' UYesu wamphendula wathi, 'Iimpungutye zinemiqolomba, neentaka zezulu zinezidleke, kodwa uNyana woMntu agenandawo yokuphumza intloko yakhe.' Wathi nakomnye, 'Ndilandele.' Ke yena wathi, 'Nkosi, ndiyeke ndiqale ndiye kungcwaba utata wam.' UYesu wathi kuye, 'Vumela abafileyo bangcwabe abafileyo babo; kodwa wena hamba uye kumzabalaza ubukumkani bukaThixo.' Wakho omunye owathi, 'Ndiza kukulandela, Nkosi, kodwa mandiqale ndiye kubavazisa abo basendlini yam.' UYesu wathi kuye, 'Akukho namnye othi abeke isandla sakhe eploweni aze ajonge emva owandelelwe ubukumkani bukaThixo.'

Makufike phambi kwakho umthandazo wam, Nkosi.

Isifundo

Kukho izinto ezincinci esizibona emhlabeni ezingena nzulu kakhulu ezintliziyweni zethu. Cinga ngomzuzu wokuhlala phantsi ebusuku, kwigumbi elithuleyo, xa uva ilizwi lomntwana wakho omncinci esiza phezulu ngezitepsi, esithi ngelizwi elithambileyo: 'Molo, Ba.' Alikho ixesha emhlabeni elingaphezu kwaloo mzuzu. Kwaye xa eloo lizwi lithule ngokungathi akukho mntu usakhulumayo kule ndlu, intliziyo iyazibuza: 'Siphi na isandi?' Kwiinyanga ezintathu ezidlulileyo, ukususela ngaloo mhla we-13 kaJuni 2026, uBenjamin Vo ushiye izandla zakhe emhlabeni waza waya ekhaya kuThixo. Namhlanje, kwiSikhumbuzo sikaSaint Jerome, umntu owayesazi incwadi yezibhalo, umntu owazinikela ekufundeni ilizwi likaThixo, sijonge kweli lizwi ukuze sifumane amandla okuhlala sime ngenyawo.

KwiNcwadi kaYobhi, siyaziva iintlungu zomntu owaphulukana nazo zonke izinto. UYobhi uthi: 'Ndiya kwazi kakuhle ukuba kunjalo; kodwa umntu angalungiselelwa njani phambi koThixo?' UYobhi uthetha ngobukhulu bukaThixo, ngamandla akhe angagungqiyo. Uyazibuza ukuba ngubani onokumelana naye, ngubani onokuthi kuye, 'Ukwenza ntoni na?' La magama kaYobhi ayenzima kakhulu, awafihli lutho. Ayasixelela inyaniso enqabileyo: ukuba amaxesha amaninzi ubomi buyasigubungela ngamafu amnyama, kwaye akukho mpendulo ilula esiyifumanayo ngoko nangoko. UYobhi ukhala, enjengokuba nabani na oziva ubuhlungu obukhulu ekhala.

Alan noThao, ndiyazi ukuba indlu isenokuziva ithule ngendlela ebuhlungu kakhulu. Xa ucinga ngaloo mntwana owayephila ngobuhle, owayenomdla ongalinganiswayo wokwazi izinto—lowo wayefuna ukwenza inqwelo-moya ebizwa ngokuba yi-'con chim airlines' aze ancume kancinci xa athetha ngayo—akukho xesha lonyaka linokuzisa ukuthula ngokukhawuleza. Usizi alulandeli ikhalenda. Luza ngexesha lalo, lunzima, lufuna indawo. Ndaye ndifuna ukuba uthethe inyaniso yale ntliziyo yakho namhlanje. Akukho nqaku lokuthi uphosile okanye wenze kakubi. Ukugula akwanga kwenzeka ngenxa yezinto owazenzayo okanye ongazenzanga. UThixo akakubeki icala, kwaye noBen akakubeki icala. Masikhuphe lo mthwalo wokuzisola emajukujukwini eentliziyo zenu namhlanje. Awuphosanga nto. Ubenze konke okusemandleni enu ngothando olungapheliyo. Ezinye izinto zenzeka ngaphandle kolawulo lwethu, ngaphandle kokuba nabani na enze impazamo. Niyinyaniso, nithandwa nguThixo.

KwiVangeli kaLuka, sibona uYesu nabafundi bakhe basendleleni. Umntu uthi kuYesu: 'Ndiza kukulandela naphi na apho unga khona.' Kodwa uYesu amphendule ngamazwi anzulu: 'Iimpungutye zinemiqolomba, neentaka zezulu zinezidleke, kodwa uNyana woMntu agenandawo yokuphumza intloko yakhe.' UYesu usibonisa ukuba ukumlandela akusoloko kulula; kubiza konke esinakho. Kwaye komunye umntu owathi ufuna ukuqala aye kungcwaba uyise, uYesu uthi: 'Vumela abafileyo bangcwabe abafileyo babo; kodwa wena hamba uye kumzabalaza ubukumkani bukaThixo.' Apha, uYesu akathethi ngokungabi nabubele kubazali; uthetha ngobomi obumele buqonde ukuba uThixo uqala ngaphambi kweento zonke. UBen wayeyiqonda le nto ngendlela yakhe emsulwa. Wayengumfana owayezimisele ukunikela ngayo yonke into. Khumbula loo mzuzu apho uBen, eneminyaka nje eli-15 ubudala, athetha nabazali bakhe athi ufuna ukunikela yonke imali yasebhange encinci ukunceda umalume wakhe uWilliam owayehlaselwe zizifo. Akazange ayiphule loo ngulube yemali, akazange ayikhuphule ngokoqobo, kodwa isipho sasingaphakathi entliziyweni yakhe. Wayengumfana owayenokunikela ngayo yonke into yakhe ngaphandle kokubala.

... Yima kancinci apha. Cinga ngaloo mphuphu yothando eyayisentliziyweni kaBenjamin Vo. Wayengumfana owayezisa uvuyo olukhulu kubazali bakhe, umfana owayenentliziyo evulekileyo. U-Alan, utata wakhe, wake waphupha ngoBen ngexesha lonyaka: uBen wayemile ngaphandle komnyango weroom 419, ebila, esithi: 'Ba ơi, test nào con cũng qua hết. Con tự thở được bình thường mà... sao con lại bị như vầy?' Kwaye utata wakhe wamwola waza wathi: 'Từ nay trở đi, con sẽ ở trên Thiên Đàng mãi mãi.' Kwaye uBen wamamatheka wathi: 'Không sao đâu, con sẽ dõi theo ba mẹ.'

Loo mzuzu usemhlabeni namhlanje. UBen akalahlekanga; ukunye noThixo, ubonisela abazali bakhe nomfowethu uRyan. Ryan, mfowethu omncane, uBen uyamthanda. Ungalokothi uzive ungedwa. Qhubeka uphila ngesibindi, ube ngumfana onobubele, onethemba, oqhubeka nohambo lwenu oludibeneyo. UBen uqhubeka ekhanya, njengaloo mthombo wamanzi owakhiwe eCà Mau ngeligama lakhe—umthombo owenza ukuba abantu abaselubundini bafumane ubomi. Uthando lukaBen aluzange lufe; luyaphila, luqukuqela, kwaye luhamba nani ngalo lonke ixesha.

Alan noThao, ningayeki ukuthanda. Nithandeke kakhulu nguThixo. Xa usizi luhlasela, thabatha elo lizwi likaYesu, uthi: 'Nkosi, ndiyakuthanda, kwaye ndiyakuthemba.' Benjamin, lala ngokuthula. Uthando lwakho lulukhanya olungasoze lwavaleleka. Siya kukukhumbula njalo, side sidibane kwakhona apho kungekho nyembezi, apho kukho uvuyo olungunaphakade. Amen.

Ukuzindla

♪ “Ubuhle Bendalo (Version B)” — A song for Ben

Izicelo

For the intentions entrusted to Ben on our prayer wall:

“Ben, ebuthongweni uHuy ukubonile uza kumvakashela, kukunika umthandazo wokuba niphinde nitholane. Kwangathi uNkulunkulu angawamukela umthandazo wakho, uBen ajabulele ukuthula okuphakade eceleni kukaNkulunkulu. Uma kungenzeka, sicela uphinde uze ungivakashele emaphuphweni alandelayo, noma kungaba nje ukubingelela noma ukumamatheka okumnandi njengakuqala.”