Ihempe Eyenziwe Ngoboya Obuhlabayo Nokuhlala Uthe Qwa Ngokomoya
UKUMKANI ULOUIS IX waseFransi wayenayo. Xa wayefundela ubugqwetha ekukhuleni kwakhe, uMhlekazi Thomas More wayehlala ethe qwa iiyure ezili-19 okanye ezingama-20 ngosuku kangangeenyanga eziliqela encedwa yiyo. Enyanisweni, lo kaMore waziwa njengoyena wayinxiba ixesha elide ebomini. Mhla wagwintwa kwiKhathedrale yaseCanterbury, uThomas Becket, uBhishophu Omkhulu waseCanterbury kwathi kungalindelwanga wafunyanwa enxibe yona ngaphantsi. Yintoni le zifana ngayo ezi ndwalutho? Zonke zazizingcungcuthekisa ngeentlungu zityiwa yihempe enoboya obuhlabayo.
Ihempe enoboya obuhlabayo yayisenziwa ngoboya bebhokhwe ize inxitywe phezu kogaga ukuze lowo uyinxibileyo imphathel’ imbengwane angakwazi konwaba. Yayiphinda ibe likhaya leentwala. Kuthiwa yena uThomas Becket wayenganxibi le hempe nje kuphela, koko phantse yonk’ impahla yakhe yangaphantsi yayenziwe ngobu boya, ibe “zazidakasa nje kuyo iintwala.” Emva kwenkulungwane ye-16, endaweni yezi hempe bambi abantu babenxiba ezenziwe ngojijo oluncinane endaweni yoboya. Le yamajijo yayiba nochatha ukumhlaba umntu oyinxibileyo.
Esinye isichazi-magama sithi, injongo yokunxiba le hempe, “yayikukulwa nenyama enesono ukuze umntu ahlale ethe qwa ngokomoya ukuze akholise uThixo.” Le hempe yayinganxitywa ngabantu ababezibandeza ulonwabo kuphela; kodwa nabantu abangengobefundisi, kuquka abasemagunyeni. Nanamhlanje kusekho iicawa ezikwenzayo oko.
Ngaba ukunxiba le hempe okanye ukuzingcungcuthekisa kwenza umntu ahlale ethe qwa ngokomoya? Umntu akathi ukuze ahlale ethe qwa ngokomoya enze ezo zinto. Enyanisweni, umpostile uPawulos wakugxeka kanobomi ‘ukungcungcuthekiswa komzimba.’ (Kolose 2:23)a Kunokwenza ezo zinto, umntu uhlala ethe qwa ngokomoya xa ezabalazela ukwazi uThixo ngokufunda iLizwi lakhe aze ke asebenzise olo lwazi kubomi bakhe.
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
a Ukuze ufumane inkcazelo engakumbi ngalo mbandela wokungcungcuthekiswa kwenyama, funda uVukani! kaOktobha 8, 1997, kwinqaku elithi “Imbono YeBhayibhile: Ngaba Ukuzibandeza Uyolo Kunika Ubulumko?”
[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 32]
King Louis IX, top: From the book Great Men and Famous Women; Thomas Becket, center: From the book Ridpath’s History of the World (Vol. IV); Thomas More, bottom: From the book Heroes of the Reformation, 1904