NguSanta John Chrysostom
“…Simele sisuke kule nto, kwaye siyazi ngokucacileyo ukuba akukho bubi ngaphandle kwesono esinye, kwaye akukho nto ilungileyo ngaphandle kwesidima esinye kunye nokukholisa uThixo kuyo yonke into. Uvuyo aluveli ekunxileni, kodwa luphuma kumthandazo wokomoya, kungekhona kwiwayini, kodwa kwilizwi elakhayo. Iwayini ivelisa isaqhwithi, kambe ilizwi livelisa ukuzola; Iwayini yenza isandi, kodwa ilizwi lipheza isiphithiphithi; iwayini iyenza mnyama ingqondo, kodwa ilizwi likhanyisela abenziwe mnyama; iwayini ivelisa iintlungu ebezingekho; ke lona ilizwi liyabagxotha ababekho. Akukho nto idla ngokukhokelela kuxolo kunye novuyo njengemithetho yobulumko - ukudela ixesha langoku, ukuzabalazela ikamva, ungacingeli nantoni na esisigxina yomntu - nokuba ubutyebi, namandla, namawonga, okanye ukuxhaswa. Ukuba uthe wafunda ukuba sisilumko ngolo hlobo, akusayi kuthuthunjiswa ngumona xa ubona isityebi, kwaye xa uwela ebuhlwempu, awuyi kuthotywa bubuhlwempu; yaye ngaloo ndlela niya kuba nako ukubhiyozela rhoqo.
Kuqhelekile ngomKristu ukubhiyozela kungekhona ngeenyanga ezithile, kungekhona ngosuku lokuqala lwenyanga, kungekhona ngeeCawa, kodwa ukuchitha ubomi bakhe bonke kumbhiyozo ofanelekileyo kuye. Luhlobo luni lombhiyozo olufanelekileyo kuye? Masimphulaphule uPawulos ngokuphathelele oku, othi: “Masibhiyozele kwangokunjalo, kungengagwele lotywala, kungenegwele lobubi nokungendawo, kungengagwele lobunyulu nenyaniso ( 1 Kor. ). Ngoko ke, ukuba ninesazela esilungileyo, nihlala nihleli eholideyini, nizondla ngamathemba alungileyo, nithuthuzelwa lithemba leentsikelelo ezizayo; ukuba awuzolanga emphefumlweni wakho kwaye unetyala lezono ezininzi, ngoko ke nangamawaka eeholide kunye nemibhiyozo awuyi kuziva ungcono kunabo bakhalayo.
Ngoko ke, ukuba ufuna ukuxhamla ukususela ekuqaleni kweenyanga ezintsha, yenza oku: ekupheleni konyaka, bulela uYehova ngokukugcina kude kube sekupheleni kweminyaka; Phulaphula intliziyo yakho, ubale ixesha lobomi bakho, uthi kuwe, Imihla iyabaleka, idlule; iminyaka iyaphela; Sele silugqibile uhambo lwethu oluninzi; Yintoni elungileyo esiyenzileyo? Ngaba siza kumka apha singenazo zonke izinto, singenasidima? Inkundla isemnyango, ubomi obuseleyo buthande ukuguga.
Ngoko ke yiba nobulumko ekuqaleni kweenyanga; Zisa oku kwinkumbulo ngexesha lojikelezo lonyaka; Masiqale sicinge ngekamva, hleze ubani athethe ngathi ngendlela efanayo naleyo yathethwa ngumprofeti ngamaYuda: Imihla yawo yatshabalala kwaba lilize, neminyaka yawo yaphela ngokukhathazwa ( INdumiso LXXVII, 33 ). Iholide enje njengoko ndithethile ngayo, rhoqo, engalindeli umjikelo weminyaka, engaphelelanga kwiintsuku ezithile, inokubhiyozelwa ngokulinganayo ngabatyebi nabangamahlwempu; kuba okufunekayo apha asiyomali, asibobutyebi, kodwa sisidima esinye. Awunayo imali? Kodwa kukho ukoyika uThixo, ubutyebi obulunge ngakumbi kunabo bonke ubutyebi, obungonakaliyo, obungaguqukiyo yaye abupheli. Khangelani esibhakabhakeni, emazulwini, emazulwini, nasemhlabeni, nolwandle, nomoya, neentlobo ngeentlobo zezilwanyana, neentlobo ngeentlobo zezityalo, neentlobo zemvelo zomntu. iingcinga ngezithunywa zezulu, iingelosi, amagunya aphezulu; khumbula ukuba konke oku bubutyebi beNkosi yakho. Akunakwenzeka ukuba umkhonzi weNkosi etyebe ngolo hlobo abe lihlwempu ukuba iNkosi yakhe inenceba kuye. Ukugcina imihla akuhambelani nobulumko bobuKristu, kodwa lo ngumbandela wempazamo yabahedeni.
Nina nibekelwe kwesona sixeko siphakamileyo, samkelwa ekubeni ngabemi basekuhlaleni, wangena kwibutho lezithunywa zezulu, apho kungekho kukhanya kujika kube bubumnyama, akukho mini iphela kubusuku, kodwa imini yonke, kukukhanya rhoqo. Siya kuzama apho rhoqo. Funani abo baphezulu, utsho (umpostile), apho akhoyo uKristu, ehleli ngasekunene kukaThixo ( Kolose III, 1 ). Aninanto yakwenza nomhlaba, apho kukho ukuhamba kwelanga, nokujikeleza kwamaxesha neentsuku; Ke ukuba niphila ngobulungisa, ubusuku busuke bube yimini kuni; njengokuba kwabanjalo abo badla ubomi babo eburheletyweni, ekunxileni nasekuziphatheni kakubi, imini leyo iba bubumnyama bobusuku; kungengenxa yokuba lenziwe mnyama ilanga, kodwa ngenxa yokuba ingqondo yabo yenziwe mnyama. ubunxila . Ukuqonda imihla, ukuziyolisa ngayo, kukhanyisa izibane endaweni yembutho, nokuluka izidanga, bubudenge obungenangqiqo; Ke nina seniphumile kobo buthathaka, nafikelela ebudodeni, nabhalwa ukuba ningabemi basemazulwini; Musa ukukhanyisa isikwere ngomlilo wenyama, kodwa khanyisa ingqondo yakho ngokukhanya kokomoya. Yatsho njalo ke (iNkosi), malukhanye ngokunjalo ukhanyiselo lwenu phambi kwabantu, ukuze bayibone imisebenzi yenu emihle, bamzukise uYihlo osemazulwini ( Mat. V, 16 ). Ukukhanya okunjalo kuya kukuzisela umvuzo omkhulu. Musa ukuhombisa iingcango zendlu yakho ngezidanga; kodwa phila ubomi obunjengokwamkela isithsaba sobulungisa entlokweni yakho esandleni sikaKristu.
Umthombo: iSt. John Chrysostom, Ukusuka kwiNtshumayelo yoNyaka oMtsha, ngoJanuwari 1, 387.
