ʻI he lolotonga ha ʻeva ʻa e kalasí, naʻe tukuakiʻi ai ha tamaiki tangata ʻe niʻihi naʻa nau ngaohikoviʻi fakaefehokotaki fakasino ha tamasiʻi ako ʻe taha. Naʻa nau ako kotoa ʻi ha ʻapiako tuʻu-ki-muʻa ʻi Kānata. Hili e hoko ʻa e meʻá, naʻe tohi ʻe Leonard Stern ʻi he nusipepa Ottawa Citizen: “Ko e ngaahi lelei ʻo hono maʻu ʻa e potó mo e akó mo e tuʻunga fakasōsialé ʻoku ʻikai ke taʻofi ai ʻa e toʻutupú mei heʻenau fai ʻa e ngaahi fili fakaeʻulungaanga ʻoku koví.”

Naʻe toe pehē ʻe Stern: “Te ke fakakaukau ko e taumuʻa mahuʻinga taha ʻo hono ʻohake ʻa e fānaú ko hono akoʻi ʻa e tuʻunga fakaeʻulungaanga ʻo ha kiʻi tama. Ko hono moʻoní ko e ngaahi mātuʻa tokolahi ʻoku nau tokanga lahi ange ki he lavameʻa fakaakó pe fakamatelié.”

Ko hono moʻoní, ʻoku mahuʻinga ʻa e akó. Ka naʻa mo e ako fakamāmani lelei tahá heʻikai lava ke ne tokoniʻi ha tokotaha ke faitau mo e ngaahi holi fehālākí pe ngaahi hehema ʻikai leleí. Ko fē leva te tau maʻu mei ai ha ako ʻokú ne fakaleleiʻi ʻa e tafaʻaki ko iá​—ʻa ia ʻokú ne ʻomai ʻa e tataki fakaeʻulungāngá?

Ko e Tohi Tapú ʻoku hangē ia ha sioʻatá. ʻI heʻetau sio ki aí, ʻoku tau sio lelei ange ai ki hotau ngaahi fakangatangatá mo e vaivaiʻangá. (Sēmisi 1:23-25) Ka ʻoku fai ʻe he Tohi Tapú ʻa e meʻa lahi ange. ʻOkú ne tokoniʻi kitautolu ke tau fai ʻa e ngaahi liliu ʻoku fiemaʻú, ke fakatupulekina ʻa e ngaahi ʻulungaanga ʻokú ne pouaki ʻa e melino mo e fāʻūtaha moʻoní. Ko e ngaahi ʻulungaanga ko iá ʻoku kau ai ʻa e leleí, anga-leleí, kātakí, mapuleʻi-kitá mo e ʻofá. ʻOku aʻu ʻo ui ʻa e ʻofá, “ko ha fakamaʻu haohaoa ia ʻo e fāʻūtahá.” (Kolose 3:14) Ko e hā ʻoku makehe ai ʻa e ʻofá? Fakatokangaʻi ʻa e meʻa ʻoku leaʻaki ʻe he Tohi Tapú fekauʻaki mo e ʻulungaanga ko ʻení.

• “Ko e ʻofá ʻoku kātaki mo anga-lelei. Ko e ʻofá ʻoku ʻikai te ne meheka. ʻOku ʻikai te ne hīkisia, ʻoku ʻikai te ne fakafuofuolahi [ʻi he hīkisia], ʻoku ʻikai te ne fai ha tōʻonga taʻefeʻunga, ʻoku ʻikai te ne kumi ki heʻene lelei pē ʻaʻana, ʻoku ʻikai te ne hoko ʻo ʻitangofua. ʻOku ʻikai te ne hanganaki fakalau ʻa e koví. ʻOku ʻikai te ne fiefia ʻi he taʻemāʻoniʻoní [koví], ka ʻokú ne fiefia ʻi he moʻoní. ʻOkú ne ʻūkuma ʻa e meʻa kotoa pē, . . . kātekina ʻa e meʻa kotoa pē. Ko e ʻofá heʻikai ʻaupito ke kaʻanga ia.”​—1 Kolinitō 13:4-8.

• “Ko e ʻofá ʻoku ʻikai ke ne fai ha ngāue kovi ki hono kaungāʻapí.”​—Loma 13:10.

• “Hiliō he meʻa kotoa, maʻu ʻa e ʻofa lahi ki he tokotaha taki taha, koeʻuhi ko e ʻofá ʻokú ne ʻufiʻufi ha fuʻufuʻunga angahala.”​—1 Pita 4:8.

ʻI he taimi ʻokú ke feohi ai mo e kakai ʻoku nau ʻofa ʻiate koé, ʻoku fēfē hoʻo ongoʻí? Malu? Fiemālie? ʻIo, ʻokú ke ʻilo ʻoku nau fiemaʻu ʻa e lelei tahá maʻau, pea heʻikai ʻaupito ke nau fakalotomamahiʻi ʻosi fakakaukauʻi koe.

Ko e ʻofá ʻe toe lava foki ke ne ueʻi ʻa e kakaí ke nau fai ha ngaahi feilaulau, naʻa mo e liliu ʻenau founga moʻuí ki he lelei ʻa e niʻihi kehé. Ko e fakatātaá, ʻi he taimi naʻe ʻi ai ha mokopuna ʻo ha tangata ʻa ia te tau ui ko George, naʻá ne loto moʻoni ke fakamoleki ʻa e taimi mo hono kiʻi mokopuná. Ka naʻe ʻi ai ha palopalema. Naʻe ifi lahi ʻa George, pea naʻe ʻikai ke loto ʻa e mali hono ʻofefiné ke ne ifi ʻi he ʻi ai ʻa e kiʻi pēpeé. Ko e hā ʻa e meʻa naʻe fai ʻe George? Neongo naʻá ne ifi ʻi he taʻu ʻe 50, naʻe tuku ʻene ifí koeʻuhi ko hono kiʻi mokopuná. ʻIo, he mālohi moʻoni ē ko e ʻofá!

Ko e ʻofá ko ha ʻulungaanga ia ʻoku tau ako. ʻOku fakahoko ʻe he ngaahi mātuʻá ha ngafa mahuʻinga ʻi hono akoʻi ʻenau fānaú ki he founga ke nau ʻofa aí.  ʻOku nau fafanga mo maluʻi ʻenau fānaú pea tokoniʻi kinautolu ʻi heʻenau loto-mamahi pe puké. Ko e ngaahi mātuʻa leleí ʻoku nau talanoa mo ʻenau fānaú pea akoʻi kinautolu. ʻOku nau toe akonakiʻi foki ʻenau fānaú, ʻaki hono akoʻi kiate kinautolu ʻa e ngaahi tefitoʻi moʻoni lelei fekauʻaki mo e meʻa ʻoku tonú mo halá. Tānaki atu ki aí, ko e ngaahi mātuʻa leleí ʻoku nau fokotuʻu ha faʻifaʻitakiʻanga lelei, ʻo hoko ko e kau tā sīpinga lelei ki heʻenau fānaú.

Ka ko e meʻa fakamamahí, ʻoku taʻelavameʻa ʻa e ngaahi mātuʻa ʻe niʻihi ʻi hono fakahoko honau ngaahi fatongiá. ʻOku ʻuhinga ení ʻe iku atu ʻenau fānaú ʻo taʻelavameʻa? ʻIkai ʻaupito! Naʻa mo e kakai taʻumotuʻa tokolahi, kau ai ʻa e faʻahinga naʻa nau tupu hake ʻi ha fāmili palopalemaʻiá, kuo nau fai ʻa e ngaahi liliu fakaofo ʻi heʻenau moʻuí pea hoko ko e kakai anga-ʻofa mo alafalalaʻanga. Hangē ko ia te tau sio ki ai ʻi he kupu hokó, ʻoku kau ki ai naʻa mo e faʻahinga kuo vakai nai ki ai ʻa e niʻihi kehé heʻikai pē ke nau toe liliu!