Na St. John Chrysostom
"No ke aha lā ʻoe e haʻaheo ai i kou ʻāina makua," wahi āna, ke kauoha aku nei au iā ʻoe e hele auwana ma ke ao holoʻokoʻa, ke hiki iā ʻoe ke lilo i mea kūpono ʻole ke ao holoʻokoʻa iā ʻoe? ʻO kahi āu i hele mai ai he mea nui ʻole ʻaʻole i hoʻopili ka poʻe akeakamai pagan iā ia iho, e kapa iā ia i waho a hāʻawi i kahi hope. Eia naʻe, ʻae ʻo Paulo i kēia, e ʻōlelo ʻoe, i kāna ʻōlelo ʻana: "E pili ana i ke koho ʻana, i aloha ʻia e ke Akua no nā mākua" (Rom. 11: 28). Akā, e haʻi mai iaʻu, i ka manawa, no wai a iā wai kāna ʻōlelo ʻana i kēia? ʻO ka poʻe pegana i hoʻohuli ʻia, ka poʻe haʻaheo i ko lākou manaʻoʻiʻo, kipi lākou i nā Iudaio, a laila hoʻokaʻawale loa lākou iā lākou iho. No laila, ʻōlelo ʻo ia i kēia i mea e hoʻohaʻahaʻa ai i ka haʻaheo i loko o kekahi, a e hoʻowalewale a hoʻoulu i nā poʻe ʻē aʻe i ka lili like. Ke kamaʻilio ʻo ia e pili ana i kēlā mau kānaka hanohano a nui, a laila e hoʻolohe i kāna ʻōlelo: “no ka poʻe e ʻōlelo like me kēia e hōʻike ana lākou i ka ʻāina makua. A ina i manao lakou i ka aina makua i hele mai ai lakou, ina ua loaa ia lakou ka manawa e hoi mai ai; aka, ua imi lakou i ka mea maikai, oia hoi ko ka lani.” (Heb. 11: 14-16). Eia hou: "Ua make kēia mau mea a pau ma ka manaʻoʻiʻo, ʻaʻole i loaʻa nā ʻōlelo hoʻohiki, akā ʻike wale lākou iā lākou ma kahi mamao aku a hauʻoli." (Heb. 11: 13). Ma ke ʻano like, ʻōlelo ʻo Ioane i ka poʻe i hele mai iā ia: "Mai manaʻo e ʻōlelo ʻoe iā ʻoe iho, 'ʻO ʻAberahama ko mākou makua'" (Matthew 3: 9); ʻO Paulo hoʻi: "ʻAʻole ka poʻe ʻIseraʻela a pau o ka ʻIseraʻela, ʻaʻole nā keiki o ke kino, he poʻe keiki lākou na ke Akua." (Rom. 9: 6,8). ʻOiaʻiʻo, e haʻi mai iaʻu, he aha ka pōmaikaʻi i loaʻa i nā keiki a Samuʻela i ka hanohano o ko lākou makua kāne, ʻoiai ʻaʻole lākou i hoʻoili i kona pono? He aha ka maikaʻi o nā mamo a Mose i lili ʻole i kona ola ʻoʻoleʻa? ʻAʻole lākou i hoʻoili i kona mana. Ua kākau ʻia lākou e kāna mau keiki, akā ua lilo ke aupuni o ka poʻe i kahi keiki nāna i hana pono. Aka, he mea eha anei ia Timoteo i kona makuakane Helene? Heaha ka pomaikai hou i loaa mai i ke keiki a Noa no ka pono o kona makuakane ke lilo oia i kauwa na ke kanaka kuokoa? ʻIke ʻoe i ka liʻiliʻi o ka palekana o nā keiki i ka hanohano o ko lākou makuakāne? ʻO ka palaho o ka makemake i lanakila ma luna o nā kānāwai o ke ʻano, a ua hoʻonele iā Ham i ka hanohano o kona mau mākua, akā i ke kūʻokoʻa pū kekahi. Aole anei o Esau ke keiki a Isaaka, ka mea i uwao nona? ʻOiai ua hoʻāʻo a makemake kona makuakāne e komo ʻo ia i ka hoʻopōmaikaʻi, a ʻo ia iho i hoʻokō i kāna mau kauoha a pau no ia mea, akā, ʻoiai ʻo ia he wiwi, ʻaʻole i kōkua kēia mau mea iā ia. ʻOiai ʻo ia ma ke ʻano maoli ʻo ia ka makahiapo, a ʻo kona makuakāne, a me ia, ua hoʻāʻo ma nā ʻano āpau e mālama i kona pono, akā naʻe, ua nalowale nā mea āpau, no ka mea, ʻaʻohe ona Akua me ia. Akā he aha kaʻu e ʻōlelo nei e pili ana i nā kānaka? He poe keiki na ke Akua na Iudaio, aole nae i loaa ia lakou keia hanohano. No laila, inā e hoʻopaʻi ʻia kekahi, ʻoiai he keiki na ke Akua, no ka hōʻike ʻole ʻana i ka pono kūpono o ia ʻano aliʻi, a laila pehea ka hōʻike ʻana i ka hanohano o kona mau kupuna kāne a me kona mau kupuna kāne? A ʻaʻole ma ke Kauoha Kahiko wale nō, akā ma ke Kauoha Hou kekahi e loaʻa ai ka mea like. "A i ka poe," ua oleloia, "i loaa ia ia, i ka poe i manaoio i kona inoa, ua haawi mai ia i ka mana e lilo i poe keiki na ke Akua" (Ioane 1:12); aka, no ka nui o keia poe keiki, wahi a Paulo, he mea makehewa loa ko lakou makua.
Ina he makehewa loa o Kristo no ka poe makemake ole e hoolohe ia lakou iho, heaha la ka pono o ka uwao kanaka? Nolaila, mai haaheo kakou i ka hanohano a me ka waiwai, aka, e hoowahawaha kakou i ka poe haakei me ia mau pono; Mai hoonawaliwali kakou no ka ilihune, aka, e imi kakou i ka waiwai e waiho ana ma na hana maikai, a e holo aku i ka ilihune e alakai ia kakou iloko o ka hewa. No kēia kumu hope loa, ua ʻilihune maoli ke kanaka waiwai kaulana, ʻo ia ke kumu i hiki ʻole ai iā ia ke loaʻa i hoʻokahi kulu wai, ʻoiai nā noi ikaika. I kēia manawa, aia anei kekahi kanaka ʻilihune i waena o mākou ʻaʻole makemake i ka wai e hoʻomaʻalili iā ia iho? ʻAʻohe; a o ka poe e hehee ana i ka pololi loa, he kulu wai paha lakou, aole he kulu wai wale no, aka, he hooluolu oi aku kekahi. Akā ʻaʻole i loaʻa i kēia kanaka waiwai - ua ʻilihune loa ʻo ia, a ʻo ka mea ʻeha loa o nā mea a pau, ʻaʻole hiki iā ia ke hōʻoluʻolu i kona ʻilihune mai kēlā me kēia wahi. No laila, no ke aha mākou e kuko ai i ke kālā inā ʻaʻole ia e lawe iā mākou i ka lani? E haʻi mai iaʻu, inā ʻōlelo kekahi aliʻi ma ka honua nei, ʻaʻole hiki i ke kanaka waiwai ke alohilohi i loko o kona mau hale aliʻi, a i ʻole ka hanohano, ʻaʻole anei e hoʻolei nā mea a pau i kā lākou waiwai me ka hoʻowahāwahā? Nolaila, ina ua makaukau kakou e hoowahawaha i ka waiwai ke hoonele ia kakou i ka hanohano mai ke alii mai o ka honua, alaila, me ka leo o ke Alii o ka lani, e kahea ana i kela la i keia la, me ka olelo mai, he mea pono ole ke komo aku i ua mau puka laa me ka waiwai; Aole anei kakou e hoowahawaha i na mea a pau, a e haalele i ka waiwai? e komo noa i kona aupuni?
Kumu: St. John Chrysostom, Ka wehewehe ana i ka Euanelio a Mataio. Vol. 7. Buke 1. Kamailio 9.
