Tokanga Telia ʻa e Saimoní!

NAʻE tokaʻi lahi ʻa Saimone ʻo Samēliá ʻi hono koló. Naʻá ne moʻui ʻi he ʻuluaki senituli T.S., pea naʻe toʻoa lahi ʻa e kakaí ʻi heʻene ngāue fakaefaimaná ʻo nau pehē ai fekauʻaki mo ia: “Ko e toko taha ʻeni ko e foʻi ivi ko ia ʻo e ʻOtua ʻoku ui ko e tuʻukimuʻa.”​—Ngāue 8:​9-11.

Kae kehe, ʻi he hili ʻa e hoko ʻa Saimone ko ha tokotaha Kalisitiane ʻosi papitaisó, naʻá ne fakatokangaʻi ha mālohi ʻoku mātuʻaki māʻolunga ange ia ʻi he mālohi naʻá ne fakahāhaaʻi ki muʻá. Ko e mālohi ko iá naʻe foaki ki he kau ʻapositolo ʻa Sīsuú, ʻo fakaivia ai kinautolu ke nau foaki atu ki he niʻihi kehé ʻa e ngaahi meʻaʻofa fakaemana ʻo e laumālie māʻoniʻoní. Naʻe maongo lahi ia kia Saimone ʻo ne ʻoatu ai ha paʻanga ki he ongo ʻapositoló peá ne kole: “Tuku mai kiate au foki ʻa e mafai ko ia; koeʻuhi ke ʻilonga ha taha te u hilifaki nima ki ai, pea ne maʻu ʻa e Laumālie Maʻoniʻoni.”​—Ngāue 8:​13-19.

Naʻe valokiʻi ʻe he ʻapositolo ko Pitá ʻa Saimone, ʻo pehē: “Ke ʻalu mo koe hoʻo paʻanga ki mala, koeʻuhi ko hoʻo fakakaukau ke fakatau ʻa e meʻaʻofa ʻa e ʻOtua ʻaki ha paʻanga. [ʻOku] ʻikai hao ʻinasi, ʻumaʻā hao kaunga ʻi he meʻa ni: he ʻoku ʻikai totonu ho loto ʻi hoʻo fakafeangai ki he ʻOtua.”​—Ngāue 8:​20, 21.

ʻOku haʻu mei he fakamatala faka-Tohitapú ni ʻa e foʻi lea “saimoní,” ʻa ia kuo fakamatalaʻi “ko e angahala ko hono fakatau mai pe fakatau atu ʻa e ngaahi tuʻunga pe hiki lakanga ʻi he siasí.” ʻOku fakahaaʻi ʻe he New Catholic Encyclopedia naʻe tautefito mei he senituli hono 9 ki he 11 “ʻa e hūhū ʻa e saimoní ki he ngaahi monasitelioó, ko e haʻa faifekau māʻulalo angé, ko e lakanga fakaʻēpikopoó, pea naʻa mo e lakanga fakatuʻitapú.” Ko e pulusi hono hiva ʻo e The Encyclopædia Britannica (1878) ʻokú ne pehē: “Ko ha ako ki he hisitōlia ʻo e ngaahi fakataha fakapulipuli Fakatuʻitapú ʻokú ne fakatuipauʻi ai ʻa e tokotaha akó, kuo ʻikai ʻaupito ha fili lakanga kuo fai ne taʻefakameleʻi ʻaki ʻa e saimoní, ka ʻi he ngaahi taimi lahi kuo ngāueʻaki ai ʻa e saimoní ʻi he fakataha fakapulipulí, ko e faʻahinga saimoni ia kuo hoko ʻo fakatokangaʻi lahi tahá, fakamā lahi tahá, pea tekeutua lahi tahá.”

Ko e kau Kalisitiane moʻoni ʻi he ʻaho ní kuo pau ke nau tokanga telia ʻa e saimoní. Ko e fakatātaá, ʻoku ʻoatu nai ʻe he niʻihi ha fakahīkihiki tōtuʻa pe ngaahi meʻaʻofa nima-homo ki he faʻahinga ʻoku malava ke nau foaki ange kiate kinautolu ha ngaahi monū fakalahi. ʻI heʻene ʻosi angé, ko e faʻahinga ʻoku malava ke nau foaki ʻa e ngaahi monū peheé ʻoku nau fakahāhā nai ʻa e leleiʻia ange ki he faʻahinga ʻoku malava​—pea ʻoku nau faʻa vēkeveke—ke ʻoange kiate kinautolu ʻa e ngaahi meʻaʻofá. Ko e ongo tuʻungá ni fakatouʻosi ʻoku kau ai ʻa e saimoní, pea ʻoku hā mahino ʻa hono fakahalaʻi ʻe he ngaahi Konga Tohitapú ʻa e ʻalunga peheé. “Ko ia ke ke fei mo liliu mei hoʻo angakovi ko eni,” ko e naʻinaʻi ia ʻa Pita kia Saimoné, “pea hu ki he ʻEiki; heiʻilo ʻe fakamolemole ʻa e fakakaukau ʻa ho loto [“ʻa e filioʻi ʻaʻaú,” New Jerusalem Bible]: he ʻoku ou vakai ʻoku ke kei moʻua ʻi he kona ʻo e ʻahu, mo e haʻi ʻo e angahala.”​—Ngāue 8:​22, 23.

Fakafiefiá, naʻe sio ʻa Saimone ki he mafatukituki ʻo ʻene holi fehālaakí. Naʻá ne kole ki he ongo ʻapositoló: “Mo hufia au ki he ʻEiki, ke ʻoua naʻa hoko kiate au ha taha ʻo e ngaahi meʻa kuo mo meʻa ki ai.” (Ngāue 8:24) ʻI he tokanga ki he lēsoni mahuʻinga ʻoku maʻu ʻi he fakamatalá ni, ʻoku feinga ʻa e kau Kalisitiane moʻoní ke fakaʻehiʻehi mei ha faʻahinga fakameleʻi pē ʻa e saimoní.