Okwenza Basebenzise Izinsalela Ekukhulekeleni

ENAPLES, eItaly. Ngeso lengqondo zibone ulapho eminyakeni yokuqala yekhulu le-18 leminyaka leSikhathi sethu Esivamile. Esontweni lakhona umbhishobhi asebenzela kulo, isazi sefilosofi saseIreland uGeorge Berkeley simi phambi kwensalela yodumo engokwenkolo. Sibuka ngokungakholelwa lokho okubonakala kuwukuphenduka uketshezi kwegazi lika“San Gennaro,” “usanta” wamaKatolika uJanuarius.

INaples ayishintshanga kangako kulesici. Ngokwesibonelo, naphezu kwesimo sezulu esibi kwesinye isenzakalo eminyakeni yamuva, isonto laliphinde lagcwala abantu, futhi kwakuye kwenzeka okunye okwakubonakala kuyisimangaliso. Insalela kanye nodwendwe olwaluholwa umbhishobhi omkhulu kwabingelelwa ngehlombe elifudumele. Yebo, lesi kwakungesinye sezikhathi eziningi igazi lika“San Gennaro” elalibonakala ngazo liphenduka uketshezi. Izimangaliso ezihilela lensalela engokwenkolo kubikwa ukuthi bezenzeka kusukela ekhulwini le-14 leminyaka.

Ngokwesiko lamaKatolika, insalela (ngesiNgisi relic, igama elivela kwelesiLatin elithi relinquere, okusho “ukushiya ngemuva”) iyinto eyashiywa ngumuntu owayebhekwa njengosanta. Njengoba iDizionario Ecclesiastico ikuveza, izinsalela “ngokwencazelo eqondile yaleligama, ziwumzimba noma ingxenye yomzimba nomlotha walowoSanta, ngomqondo obanzi into eyake yathintana nomzimba walowosanta futhi ngaleyondlela efanelwe ukuzinikela kuyo.”

Ukuvunyelwa UPapa

Ngokunokwenzeka, abaningi baziphatha ngenhlonipho izinsalela ezingokwenkolo ngenxa yalokho okubonakala kuyizimangaliso ezihlanganiswa nazo. Ukuvunyelwa kwazo uPapa ngokusobala kungesinye isici esibangela ukuba zithandwe.

Okungenani opapa abane kuleminyaka engu-70 edlule baye bazinaka ngokukhethekile izinsalela. Iphephandaba lamaKatolika eliphuma ngezikhathi ezithile lembula ukuthi njengoPius XI owayengaphambi kwakhe esikhundleni, uPapa Pius XII “wayehlala enezinsalela zikasanta waseLisieux kuyena.” UPaul VI “wayegcine umunwe womphostoli [uTomase] edesikini lakhe endlini yakhe yokufundela,” futhi uJohn Paul II “endlini yakhe, ugcine izingcezu . . . zesidumbu” sika“Santa uBenedict” no“Santa uAndrew.”—30 giorni, March 1990, ikhasi 50.

Ngenxa yokuvunyelwa okunjalo ngupapa, akumangalisi ukuthi isidingo sezinsalela zokusetshenziswa kokubili ekuboniseni ukuzinikela ngasese nasobala siyanda. Kodwa ingabe ukuzinikela ezinsaleleni ezingokwenkolo kuyamthokozisa uNkulunkulu?

[Isithombe ekhasini 3]

I“reliquary” isitsha okulondolozwa kuso izinsalela ezingokwenkolo

[Umthombo]

Courtesy of The British Museum