SAFIRI NA MZIGO MWEPESI

                                                               

                                                             JUMAPILI YA 14 YA MWAKA A

1.       Zak 9: 9-10

Rum 8: 9.11-13

2.       Mt. 11: 25-30

“Mjitwike nira yangu na kujifunza kwangu, kwa maana mimi ni mpole na mnyenyekevu moyoni, nanyi mtazipatia roho zenu raha. Kwani nira yangu si nzito, na mzigo wangu ni rahisi kuuchukua” (Mathayo 11: 29 -30).   

Maisha ni safari na safari ni safari. Ni vizuri kusafiri na mzigo mwepesi. Ukitumia usafiri wa ndege lazima kufuata masharti ya uzito wa mzigo. Usizidishe kilo. Kama unaambiwa uwe na mzigo wa kilo ishirini ziwe kilo ishirini. “Hakuna ambaye anaangushwa na mzigo wa leo. Ni wakati mzigo wa kesho unapoongezwa kwenye mzigo wa leo ndipo uzito unaongezeka kuliko mtu anavyoweza kunyanyua. Usijitwike mizigo hivyo,” alisema George MacDonald. Katika mtazamo huu Bwana Yesu alipowafundisha wafuasi wake sala ya Baba Yetu alisema: “Utupe leo mkate wetu,” hatusemi utupe mkate wa kesho. Ni kujitwika mizigo ya kesho. Pia Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo alipendekeza kuchukua mzigo wake ambao ni mwepesi. “Mjitwike nira yangu na kujifunza kwangu, kwa maana mimi ni mpole na mnyenyekevu moyoni, nanyi mtazipatia roho zenu raha. Kwani nira yangu si nzito, na mzigo wangu ni rahisi kuuchukua” (Mathayo 11: 29 -30). Mzigo wa Yesu ni mzigo wa unyenyekevu. Huu ni mzigo mwepesi kuliko mzigo wa majivuno. Mzigo wa Yesu ni mzigo wa upendo. Huu ni mzigo mwepesi na rahisi kuliko chuki.

  “Nimeamua kujishughulisha na upendo. Chuki ni mzigo mzito sana haubebeki,” alisema  Martin Luther King, Jr. mpigania haki za binadamu. Anatwaambia kuwa upendo ni mzigo mwepesi. Amani ukilinganisha na vurugu ni mzigo mwepesi. Kuna mtu alimwambia jamaa mmoja: “Unasema wewe ni mpenda amani halafu unaenda na kumtupia tofali Casey?” Huyu mtu alijibu: “Casey alikuwa mtulivu baada ya kumtupia jiwe ujakosea mimi nimpenda amani.” Wanaofanyiwa ubaya wakiwa watulivu sio kwamba kuna amani ila wanataka kubeba mzigo mwepesi mzigo wa amani.

AMANI NI MZIGO MWEPESI

 Yesu aliwaambia mitume wake: “Kila nyumba mnayoingia, semeni kwanza, ‘Amani iwe na nyumba hii.” Amani haishurutushwi isipokuwa ni mapato ya kupokeana na kuelewana. “Ukitaka amani, ifanyie kazi haki,” alisema Papa Paulo VI aliyeliongoza Kanisa Katoliki mwaka 1963 hadi 1978. Bila haki hamna amani. Mambo yote mazuri yanazungumzia amani: Maendeleo, upendo, huruma, ukarimu, kujali, utu yote hayo yanaweza kuwa majina mapya ya amani. Kwa namna hii amani ni mzigo mwepesi.

Hellen Keller alikuwa mtoaji mada za kutia watu matumaini alikuwa kipofu na kiziwi. Aliulizwa: “Kama ungeombwa kuomba zawadi moja ungeomba zawadi ipi?” Walitegemea aombe zawadi ya kusikia au kuona. Kwa mshangao wa wengi alisema: “Ningeomba amani duniani.” Amani ni mzigo mwepesi kuliko kutoona au kutosikia kadiri ya mtazamo wa Hellen Keller. Tudumishe amani. Tufundishe amani. Tuombe amani. 

UPENDO NI MZIGO MWEPESI

Yesu aliwatuma wafuasi wake sabini na wawili aliowatuma wawili wawili na kuwaambia “Msichukue mfuko wa fedha, wala mkoba, wala viatuu” (Luka 10: 4). Alitaka wasafiri na mzigo mwepesi. Kwanza wasisafiri na mzigo wa ubaguzi . Aliwatuma kwa watu wote. Namba sabini na mbili inawakilisha mataifa yote na watu wote. Kitabu cha mwanzo 10: 2-31 kinazungumzia namba kamili ya wazaliwa wa watoto wa Nuhu waliofanya idadi ya watu wa ulimwengu baada ya kutokea gharika na watu wote kufa hao ndio waliobaki. Injili haibinafishwi au kuhodhiwa na wachache. 

 Aliwatuma wawili wawili kutukumbusha amri kuu ya upendo yenye amri mbili:kumpenda Mungu na kumpenda jirani. Upendo huu ni mzigo mwepesi. “Chuki ni mzigo mzito wa kubeba, unaweza kumhumiza anayechukia kuliko anayechukiwa,” alisema Coretta Scott King.  Aliwatuma wawili wawili kuonesha umuhimu wa jumuiya. Ubinafsi na umimi ni mzigo mzito. Kuvaa uso wa usinikaribie. Ni kubeba mzigo mzito. Kuwa na mtazamo wa wengine watafanya ni kubeba mzigo mzito. Kuna mtoto alilalamikia kitanda walipokuwa wanalala anasema ni kigumu na kaka yake anachukua nusu. Mama akauliza kwa nini hasichukue nusu. Kijana akazidi kulalamika: “Anachukua nusu ya nusu kitanda.” Kusema kweli hiyo ni robo kumbe mtoto huyo alikuwa anachukua robo tatu na hajaridhika. Umimi au ubinafsi ni mzigo mzito. “Upendo hauisi mzigo, haufikiri tatizo, unajaribu lililo juu ya nguvu yake, hautoi sababu ya haiwezekani; unafikiria kuwa kila kitu ni kadiri ya sheria kwa ajili yake na yote yanawezekana,” alisema Thomas a Kempis.

Chuki bila sababu au maamuzi mbele kwa vile mtu ametoka kabila fulani au eneo fulani ni mzigo mzito. “Chuki bila sababu ni mzigo ambao unachanganya yaliyopita, na kutishia yajayo na kufanya yaliyopo yasifikike,” alisema Maya Angelou. Pia kuna methali ya Wayahudi isemayo: Maoni ambayo yana msingi wake katika chuki bila sababu yanaendelezwa na matumizi ya mabavu.

MAKOSA NI MZIGO MZITO

Makosa yetu ya zamani tusipoyaungama na kuyatubu  tukiyabeba tunabeba mizigo mizito. Mtunga zaburi alisema: “Kwani makosa yangu yamenifunika kichwa, kama mzigo mzito mno yamenilemea” (Zaburi 38: 5). Makosa ni mzigo. Yakobo alipotoa baraka na wosia alimwambia mtoto wake “Reuben, wewe ndiwe mzaliwa wangu wa kwanza, nguvu yangu, tunda la kwanza la uwezo wangu wa kuzaa, imekupasa kuwapita wengine kwa ukuu, kuwapita kwa nguvu; lakini ulifurika kama maji: wewe hutakuwa na ukuu. Kwa sababu ulikipanda kitanda cha baba yako, ulikichafua kitanda changu ulipokipanda” (Mwanzo 49: 3-4). Reuben alipoteza haki zake zote za mtoto wa kwanza kwa sababu ya dhambi yake ya kujamiana maharimu (Maharimu ni ndugu ambaye mtu hawezi kumwoa au kuolewa naye kwa sababu ya unasaba wao) Alikuwa na mambo mazuri matano na kosa moja. Kosa moja likawa uzito wa kumfanya kukosa ukuu au mafanikio makubwa.  Unapoungama makosa yako kwa Mungu unatua mzigo. Utakatifu ni mzigo mwepesi.  Mtunga zaburi anasema: “Umwekee Bwana mzigo wako, naye atakutegemeza” (Zaburi 55:23).

 “Mzigo wa kujifungia hauna uzito. Ni methali ya Kiswahili. Mtu anapojifungia mwenyewe mzigo hujaribu kwa kadiri ya uwezo au nguvu zake za kuubeba. Hawezi kamwe kujifungia mzigo mzito wa kumshinda. Jifungie mzigo wa upendo. Unapowafariji wengine unawabebea mzigo. “Hakuna anayejua uzito wa mzigo wa mwingine,” alisema George Herbert. “Mungu ameamrisha kuwa tujifunze kubebeana mzigo; kwa kuwa hakuna asiyenakosa, hakuna asiye na mzigo; hakuna anayejitosheleza,” alisema Thomas Kempis.

KISASI NI MZIGO MZITO

Katika msalaba wa Bwana wetu Yesu Kristu tunaona mzigo mwepesi. Yeye aliwasamehe waliomkosea. Msamaha ni mzigo mwepesi. Katika msingi huu mtume Paulo alisema: “Mimi, hasha, nisione fahari juu ya kitu chochote ila msalaba wa Bwana wetu Yesu” (Gal 6: 14-18). Kisasi ni mzigo mzito. Samehe kwa ajili ya afya yako. Miaka kadhaa iliyopita kampuni nyingi za kiamerika baada ya kupata ruhusa ya serikali zilizika takataka zilizokuwa zimajazwa kwenye mapipa ya vyuma. Walifunga mapipa yao vizuri sana na kuyazika. Baada ya muda mfupi mapipa hayo yalianza kuvuja na sumu hiyo ilionekana kwenye uso wa dunia na kusababisha uharibifu mkubwa sana. Walijaribu kuzika vitu vilivyokuwa na nguvu nyingi sana. Nasi mambo ni hivyo katika suala la kutosamehe. Lazima tusamehe ili sumu isitudhuru. Tunasoma hivi katika kitabu cha mithali: “Afichaye makosa yake hafanikiwi” (Mithali 28: 13). Msamaha ni mzigo mwepesi.

KUPOKEA HABARI NJEMA NI MZIGO MWEPESI

“Na mkiingia mjini wasiwapokee, nendeni nje katika barabara zake, mkaseme, “Hata mavumbi ya mji wenu yanayogandamana na miguu yetu tunawakung’utia” (Luka 10: 11). Ni kama laana. Lakini ukweli wa maisha. Ukinunua gari wanakuelezea matumizi yake. Kwamba baada ya kilometa kadhaa badilisha oil na belt usipofanya hivyo haupokei habari njema laana inakuwa kwa gari. Litaharibika haraka na hata kusababisha ajali. Kupokea habari njema ni mzigo mwepesi.

 TRAVEL LIGHT: LAY ASIDE EXTRA BAGGAGE

(Written in 2008 by Fr. Faustin Kamugisha)

 

A time to travel light is a time to lose. We are on a journey to heaven. As a matter of fact we are pilgrims. The less “baggage” we carry the more we can concentrate on essentials. Jesus told his disciples, “Take nothing for the journey.” The spirit of Christ is that we free ourselves of the superfluous, the unnecessary, and the piles of extra “things” that weigh us down physically and spiritually.  Excessive baggage can be a fear of criticism. A man was driving to town one morning with his wife. The weather was hot and the windows were rolled up. “Honey,” he said, “Please open the windows.” “Are you crazy? She exclaimed. “Do you want to let our neighbours driving in the next lane know our car isn’t air conditioner?” The man’s wife was afraid of being criticized.

 Excessive baggage can be an emotional baggage like anger. A boy once asked, “Dad, how do wars begin?” “Well, take the First World War,” said his father. “That got started when Germany invaded Belgium.” Immediately his wife interrupted him: “Tell the boy the truth. It began because somebody was murdered.” The husband drew himself up with n air of superiority and snapped back, “Are you answering the question, or am I?” Turning her back upon him in a huff, the wife walked out of the room and slammed the door as hard as she could. When the dishes stopped rattling in the cupboard, an uneasy silence followed, broken at length by the son when he said, “Daddy, you don’t have to tell me any more; I know now!” We all carry a lot of emotional baggage around with us.

We have to travel light: take nothing for the journey. We have to get rid of every weight and sin as the writer of the book of Hebrews advises us. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us strip off every weight and let lid ourselves of the sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12: 1 – 2).  In the Christian life we have excessive baggage or discarding things. There may be habits, pleasure, self-indulgences, associations which hold us back. We must shed them off. 

In the Christian life we have a means. That means is steadfast endurance. This is a patience, which does not sit down and accepts things but the patience, which masters them. In the Christian life we have an example. That example is Jesus himself, for the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame. 

We need to shed off buying addiction. There are people who are addicted to buying. Spending addiction can be a weight, which weighs us down spiritually and physically. The attitude of the spending addicts is that “I consume therefore I am.”  We do not imitate the high school boy who had twenty-six sweaters, most of which he never wore or the wife of one of the American ambassadors to England who had over one thousand pairs of shoes

There are people who are obsessive electronics equipment buyers, obsessive newspapers buyers, and obsessive bread buyers. There are people who think that if they have enough things to prove success the neighbours would think more of them. Many compulsive shoppers admit they do not love to shop, but rather love to buy. Shopping provides instant gratification. Parents travel light. Teachers travel light. Doctors travel light. Nurses travel light. Children travel light. Students travel light. Religious nuns travel light. Politicians travel light. Husbands travel light. Wives travel light.