Ubomi babaNgcwele: San Policarpo, ubhishophu kunye nokufela ukholo
USaint Polycarp, ubishophu kunye nomfeli-nkolo
c. Ngama-69-c. 155
NgoFebruwari 23 - Isikhumbuzo (Isikhumbuzo sokukhetha ukuba usuku lweveki yeLente)
Umbala we-Litological: Bomvu (uViolet ukuba ngumhla weveki yeLente)
Umxhasi ongcwele wezigulana zentloko
Ukufa okumangalisayo kobhishophu ohloniphekileyo kuyayiphelisa inkqubela yabapostile
Ubhishophu wamaKatolika ubulawa ngenkohlakalo eTurkey. Umbulali wakhe ukhala esithi "Allahu Akbar", ephinda ehlabe ixhoba lakhe entliziyweni, emva koko anqumle intloko. Kukho amangqina esenzo. Ababingeleli abambalwa basekuhlaleni kunye noloyiko oluthembekileyo ngobomi babo. Upopu eRoma wothukile kwaye uthandazela umfi. Abantu abangamawaka amahlanu bathatha inxaxheba kuMthendeleko wokungcwaba. Umsitho wakudala? Hayi.
Ubhishophu owabulawa yayingu-Franciscan wase-Italiya ogama lingu Luigi Padovese, upopu olilayo yayingu-Benedict XVI kwaye unyaka wawungu-2010. I-Turkey yindawo enobungozi kubhishophu wamaKatolika, nokuba ungubhishophu wasePadovese okanye ingcwele yanamhlanje, u-Bishop Polycarp. Ngaphezulu kwewaka leminyaka, iPeninsula yaseAnatolian yayisisiseko sobuKristu baseMpuma. Elo xesha kudala lafikelela esiphelweni. Kumakhulu ambalwa eekhilomitha elinamakhulu amabini aneshumi elinesibhozo eminyaka bahlukene, okanye badibanise, ubhishophu wasePadovese kunye nobishophu uPolicarpo. Nokuba ligalelwe kwimela ebukhali yomntu onenzondelelo yempambano yamaSilamsi, okanye liphalazwe kwikrele elaphoswa lijoni laseRoma elingumhedeni, igazi lisaqhubeka liba bomvu lisuka entanyeni yenkokeli yobuKrestu, eyayixinene kumhlaba welizwe elinobutshaba.
Iindaba zokufela ukholo kukaSt.Polycarp, ubhishophu waseSmirna, zasasazeka kude ngomhla wakhe, zamenza waduma kwiCawa yokuqala njengokuba enjalo ngoku. Wabulawelwa ukholo malunga ne-155 AD, omnye wabafeli-nkolo bokuqala ukufa kwakhe okuqinisekisiweyo ngamaxwebhu angqine ukuba angqina ukuba wabulawa kanye ngosuku lomthendeleko wakhe wangoku, nge-23 kaFebruwari. UPolycarp wayeneminyaka engama-86 xa kwaqhambuka intshutshiso nxamnye neCawa yalapho. Walinda ngomonde kwifama engaphandle kweso sixeko ukuba abo babembulala bangene baze kunkqonkqoza emnyango. Waziswa ke phambi komantyi waseRoma kwaye wayalelwa ukuba akukhanyele ukungakholelwa kwakhe kubukho bukaThixo. Khawufane ucinge. Enjani yona into ukujija okunomdla! UmKristu utyholwa ngokungakholelwa kuThixo "ngumkholwa" ongumhedeni. Yayinjalo ke imbono yamaRoma.
Oothixo baseRoma babengabantu abathanda ubuzwe ngaphezu kwezinto ezikholelwayo. Akukho mntu wabulawa ngenxa yokukholelwa kubo. Akukho mntu wayelwela imigaqo yabo, kuba kwakungekho migaqo. Aba thixo benzela iRoma ukuba zeziphi iiflegi, imihobe yesizwe kunye neeholide zoluntu ezikwenzela isizwe sanamhlanje. Bayidibanisa. Babengumqondiso wendalo yonke webhongo lobuzwe. Njengokuba bonke bemele umhobe wesizwe, bajongane neflegi, babeke isandla ezintliziyweni zabo kwaye bacule amagama aqhelekileyo, ngokunjalo nabemi baseRoma benyuka kwizinyuko ezibukhali zeetempile zabo eziphangiweyo, bacenga emva koko batshisa isiqhumiso isibingelelo sothixo wabo abamthandayo.
Kwakudinga isibindi sobuqhawe kuPolycarp kunye namawaka amanye amaKristu okuqala, ukuba angaphosi iinkozo ezimbalwa zesiqhumiso kwilangatye elalitshisa phambi kothixo wobuhedeni. KumaRoma, ukungatshisi isiqhumiso kwakufana nokutshica iflegi. Kodwa uPolycarp walile ukuyeka ubunyani bento awayeyivile xa wayesemncinci emlonyeni wase-St. John, ukuba ingcibi egama linguYesu, eyayiphila iiveki ezimbalwa kumazantsi eSmirna, ivukile ekufeni emva kokubola komzimba wayo. ibekwe kwingcwaba eligadileyo. Kwaye oku kwakusandula ukwenzeka, ngemihla yoomakhulu nootatomkhulu bakaPolycarp!
UPolycarp wayezidla ngokufela ukholo awayelwamkele ngokucinga okufanelekileyo. Inzala yakhe njengenkokeli yamaKristu yayingenakusoleka. Ukholo walufunda komnye wabapostile beNkosi. Wadibana nobhishophu odumileyo waseAntiyokwe, iSt. Ignatius, xa uIgnatius wadlula eSmirna xa wayesiya kubulawa eRoma. Enye yeeleta ezisixhenxe ezidumileyo zikaSt. Ignatius ide ibhalelwe uPolycarp. UPolycarp, uIrenaeus oNgcwele waseLyons usixelela, wade waya eRoma ukuya kudibana noPopu kumcimbi wokuthandana kwePasika. UIrenaeus wayesazi kwaye wafunda kwiPolycarp xa uIrenaeus wayengumntwana eAsia Minor. Ileta kaPolycarp eya kwabaseFilipi yafundwa kwiicawa zaseAsia ngokungathi yayiyinxalenye yeZibhalo, ubuncinci de kwaba yinkulungwane yesine.
Yayiyile ndoda ihloniphekileyo engwevu, ingqina lokugqibela eliphila ngexesha labapostile, izandla zalo zazibotshelelwe emva kwakhe esibondeni kwaye zazime "njenge nkunzi yegusha enamandla" njengoko amawaka ayekhwaza igazi lakhe. UBhishophu uPolycarp wakwamkela ngembeko oko wayengakhange akufune. Umzimba wakhe watshiswa emva kokubhubha kwakhe kwaye abathembekileyo bagcina amathambo akhe, umzekelo wokuqala wezinto ezingasekhoyo wawuzukisiwe. Kwiminyaka embalwa emva kokufa kukaPolycarp, indoda yaseSmirna egama linguPionio yabulawa ngenxa yokubulawa kukaSaint Polycarp. Ngokuchanekileyo ngale ndlela kongezwe, omnye emva komnye, amakhonkco kunye nomxokelelwane wokholo oqhubeka ukutyhubela iinkulungwane ukuza kuthi ga kulo mhla, apho ngoku sihlonipha iSt.Polycarp ngokungathi sihleli kufutshane nesenzo kwibala Usuku olumnandi.
Umfeli-nkolo omkhulu iSt. Ngokuthethelela kwakho, uyazibophelela kwinkolo yethu ehlala ihleli, iprojekthi yobomi, eqhubeka de ubomi bethu bokholo buphele ngokufa kokholo.