SONKE sikhe sibe nexhala size sifune umntu onokusinceda. Sidla ngokubhenela kumhlobo onovelwano nonamava okulungisa loo ngxaki isixhalabisayo. Sonke siyafuna ukuba nomhlobo onovelwano nonamava okulungisa iingxaki.

Abanye basenokukhetha ukuthandaza kumhlobo onjalo. Kunokuba bathandaze kuThixo—abacinga ukuba uphakame gqitha yaye uyoyikeka—baziva bekhululekile xa bethandaza kwenye yeengcwele. Bathi iingcwele zinovelwano ngakumbi kuba kaloku zona ziyawazi amahla-ndinyuka obomi. Ngokomzekelo, abantu abalahlekelwe yinto ebalulekileyo basenokukhetha ukuthandaza kwiNgcwele uAnthony wasePadua—ekukholelwa ukuba ubuyisela abantu izinto zabo ezibiweyo. Xa bethandazela isilwanyana sabo esigulayo, basenokuguqa kwiNgcwele uFrancis waseAssisi okanye kwiNgcwele uJude Thaddeus xa bedandathekile.

Noko ke, ngaba iZibhalo ziyasivumela ukuba sithandaze kwiingcwele? Ekubeni sifuna iviwe nguThixo imithandazo yethu, ngokuqinisekileyo siyafuna ukwazi ukuba: Ngaba uyayiva imithandazo yethu? Nanku omnye umbuzo esifanele sizibuze wona: Ngaba uThixo uyafuna abantu bathandaze kwiingcwele?

Into ebangela ukuba abantu bathandaze kwiingcwele yimfundiso yeCawa yamaKatolika yokuba iingcwele zisithethelela kuThixo. INew Catholic Encyclopedia ithi, eyona nto ifundiswayo kukuba “kucelwa ubabalo kuThixo ngulowo unelungelo lokwenjenjalo ukuze kwenzelwe isisweli inceba.” Ngoko ke, umntu othandaza kwiingcwele unethemba lokuba ziza kucela uThixo ukuba amenzele inceba, kuba esithi zikufutshane naye.

Ngaba leyo yimfundiso yeBhayibhile? Abanye bathi kwiincwadi zakhe, umpostile uPawulos wafundisa ukuba sifanele sithandaze kwiingcwele. Ngokomzekelo, kwincwadi awayibhalela amaKristu aseRoma, wathi: “Ke kaloku ndiyanibongoza, bazalwana, ngeNkosi yethu uYesu Kristu nangothando lomoya, ukuba nizibhokoxe kunye nam ekundithandazeleni kuThixo.” (Roma 15:30) Ngaba uPawulos wayethandaza kuloo maKristu ewacela ukuba adlulisele imithandazo yakhe kuThixo? Kwakungenakuba njalo. Ekubeni uPawulos wayengumpostile kaKristu, ngaloo maKristu awayenokucela yena ukuba awangxengxezele kuThixo. Ngala mazwi, uPawulos wayebonisa ukuba umKristu unako ukucela amanye amaKristu ukuba amthandazele kuThixo. Kodwa ke, le nto ayifani nokuthandaza kumntu othile okholelwa ukuba usezulwini, ngethemba lokuba yena uza kudlulisela loo mthandazo kuThixo. Ngoba kutheni?

KwiVangeli eyabhalwa ngumpostile uYohane, uYesu uthi: “Ndim indlela nenyaniso nobomi.  Akukho bani uzayo kuBawo ngaphandle kokuza ngam.” (Yohane 14:6) Uphinda athi: “UBawo uya kuninika nantoni na eniyicela kuye egameni lam. (Yohane 15:16, IThe New Jerusalem Bible) UYesu akazange athi sifanele sithandaze kuye ukuze yena adlulisele loo mithandazo kuThixo. Kunoko, ukuze imithandazo yethu iviwe, sifanele sithandaze ngqo kuThixo egameni likaYesu, hayi elomnye umntu.

Xa abafundi bakhe bamcela ukuba abafundise ukuthandaza, uYesu wathi: “Xa sukuba nithandaza, yithini, ‘Bawo, malingcwaliswe igama lakho.’” (Luka 11:2) Ngalo lonke ixesha sithandaza sifanele sithandaze kuThixo, hayi kuYesu okanye omnye umntu. Ngaba ezi mfundiso zikaYesu zicacileyo azifanele zisenze sibone ukuba sifanele sithandaze kuThixo egameni likaYesu, kungekhona kwiingcwele?

Umthandazo yeyona nto ibalulekileyo kunqulo lwethu, ibe iBhayibhile ithi sifanele sinqule uThixo kuphela. (Yohane 4:23, 24; ISityhilelo 19:9, 10) Yiloo nto sifanele sithandaze kuThixo kuphela.

KwiNtshumayelo yaseNtabeni edumileyo, uYesu wenza umzekelo womntwana ocela ukutya kuyise. Ngaba utata anganika umntwana ilitye endaweni yesonka? Okanye ngaba unokumnika inyoka enobuhlungu xa ecela intlanzi? (Mateyu 7:9, 10) Umzali obathandayo abantwana bakhe akanakuyenza loo nto!

Makhe sithi ungumzali yaye umntwana wakho ukucela into ethile ebalulekileyo. Uyazi ukuba uyamthanda yaye naye uyakuthanda, kwaye ubusoloko unobubele kuye. Kodwa endaweni yokuba eze ngqo kuwe, ucela omnye umntu ukuba athethe nawe, kuba engaqinisekanga ukuba uza kumenzela le nto ayifunayo. Ubuza kucinga ntoni? Ubuza kuthini xa esoloko ecela loo mntu ukuba athethe nawe yaye kubonakala ukuba akazimiselanga ukuphinda athethe ngqo nawe? Ngaba ubuza kuyithanda loo nto? Unotshe! Abazali ababathandayo abantwana babo bafuna bathethe ngqo nabo yaye bafuna bazi ukuba banokucela nantoni na abayidingayo.

Xa wayechaza oko kuthethwa ngumzekeliso wakhe womntwana ocela ukutya, uYesu wathi kwisihlwele: “Ngoko ke, ukuba nina, nangona ningendawo, niyakwazi ukunika abantwana benu izipho ezilungileyo, wobeka phi na ke yena uYihlo osemazulwini ukubanika izinto ezilungileyo abo bamcelayo!” (Mateyu 7:11) Asilithandabuzi elokuba umzali usoloko efuna ukubenzela izinto ezintle abantwana bakhe. Indlela uBawo wethu osemazulwini afuna ngayo ukuphulaphula nokuphendula imithandazo yethu ingaphezulu lee kweyomzali ofuna ukubenzela izinto ezintle abantwana bakhe.

UThixo ufuna sithandaze ngqo kuye naxa sityiwa sisazela ngenxa yezono zethu. Akathumi omnye umntu ukuba aphulaphule imithandazo yethu. IBhayibhile ithi kuthi: “Umthwalo wakho wulahlele kuYehova, yaye yena wokuxhasa.” (INdumiso 55:22) Kunokuba sithembele kwabanye abantu ukuba bathethe noThixo egameni lethu, kufuneka simthembe uYehova uThixo.

UBawo wethu wasezulwini uthanda ngamnye wethu. Ufuna ukusinceda kwiingxaki zethu yaye uthi masisondele kuye. (Yakobi 4:8) Kusivuyisa ngokwenene ukwazi ukuba singakwazi ukuthandaza kuThixo noBawo wethu, ‘onguMphulaphuli wemithandazo’!—INdumiso 65:2.