Le Mata'utia o le Alofa

I se faʻamatalaga i laʻu pou, ‘E Manaomia e le Alofa se Siamupini‘, Peter Kazmier fai se fesili manaia. Sa amata ona ou tali atu: ae na iu i se mea na ou lagona e umi tele mo na o se faamatalaga; ma sa, moni lava, e foliga mai e faaosofia ai se talanoaga lautele i lana lava aia tatau. O lea na ou filifili ai e fai i se isi faʻasalalauga.

O lea ua toe iai O le faamatalaga a Peteru, ma la’u tali:

“Kevin, o nisi taimi o se tamā e iai sana tama lē pulea, o se tamaititi na te fa'afefe isi tamaiti, e tatau ona faia se gaioiga malosi e taofi ai le fefe. E te manatu o loo feagai le Atua ma le faafitauli lava e tasi ia i tatou? E fa'apefea ona fa'aalia na gaioiga o le puipuiga? E alofa, o nisi taimi e tatau ai, fai i se foliga tiga?"

ioe, e le taumate. I le tulaga o le tagata, ose tulaga ogaoga e mafai ona mafaufauina i se tamaititi ua liu leaga (e.g. o se fasioti tagata sauā po o se tagata faatupu faalavelave). E ono tulaʻi mai se tulaga e ono fasiotia ai e le tamā lana lava tama ina ia taofia ai se fasiotiga tagata. Po o le tama, i lana matafaioi o se faamasino po o se pule o tagata, atonu e tatau ona ta'u le faasalaga mulimuli e faasaga i lana lava tama mo solitulafono na faia. E seāseā tupu ia mea, vagana ai i tulaga ua motusia ai le sootaga o le alofa o le tama ma le tama: ae afai e tumau pea le loto o le tama i le tamaitiiti e foliga mai o se filifiliga sili lea ona tiga e tatau ona faia e le tama..

E toetoe lava o se faataitaiga o lenei mea i le Tusi Paia. O se tasi o atalii o le Tupu o Tavita, o Amanono, sa mana'o i lona tuafafine afa, Tamara, ma iu ai ina toso faamalosi o ia. Ae o Tavita, atonu o se vaega ona o se lagona o le maasiasi i lana lava mulilua muamua ma Patisepa ma o se vaega ona o le alofa i lona atalii., na le mafai ona faasalaina Amanono. O lea la o le uso atoa o Tamara, Apisaloma, na fasiotia Amanono a o leʻi sola i le tafeaga. Ua vaeluaina nei Tavita i le va o lona alofa mo Apisaloma ma lona tiute o se tupu: o lea na ia toe fa'anoanoa ai. O le taimi lea na faateleina ai le ita o Apisaloma ia Tavita. Na ia toe faafoʻi atu i totonu o le maota, then plotted to overthrow David. 20,000 people died in the ensuing conflict: but David’s greatest personal grief was over the death of Absalom. He immediately went into mourning for his son, until the commander of his army rebuked him, fai mai, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.” (2 Samuel 19:5-6.)

It was a really difficult call for David: but it vividly illustrates the potential consequences of not taking a tough line when necessary and the dilemma of one who must be both father and judge.

So what about the God level? In the Old Testament there is a passage that specifically addresses this issue:

If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, ma, though they chasten him, will not listen to them; then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place; and they shall tell the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. All the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones: ‘ona ‘outou tu‘u‘eseina ai lea o le leaga i totonu ‘iā te ‘outou; ona faalogo ai lea o Isaraela uma, ma le fefe (Deut 21:18-21).

Matou te gatete i le pito o lenei fuaiupu. Ae e manaʻomia ona tatou iloa le uiga o loo taʻua ai nei upu. Fa'asolopito, o le vaitaimi tuai lea o le Bronze Age. Sa leai se puipuiga lautele po o ni leoleo. Sa faalagolago tagata i o latou aiga po o ituaiga mo le tausiga ma le puipuiga ma sa leai se avanoa mo i latou e mumusu e toso o latou mamafa. O lea la o le faatosinaga a se atalii na tausisi e nofo i le fale, faia o lona aiga e tausia o ia, a o musu e galue, o le tetee i ona toeaina ma le faia o se faaaʻoaʻoga o amioga onanā o le a lamatia ai le soifua manuia o le ituaiga atoa.. I lalo o nei tulaga, ma le maliliega a matua uma ma toeaina o le aai, sa faatagaina lona faasalaga oti.

Ae semanu o le taunuuga lea sa manao i ai lona tama ma lona tina, po o le Atua? E leai! Ua faaalia manino mai e Iesu le finagalo faatamā o le Atua mo lana fanau uma i le faataoto i le atalii faamaumauʻoa. (Lk. 15:11-32).

E mafai ona tatou faapea ifo ia i tatou lava, “Ae afai e malosi ma alofa le Atua, e mautinoa lava e mafai ona ia toe faafoʻisia le tagata solitulafono e aunoa ma le soona sauā iā te ia! Ae uma ane, na ia faaliliuina Saulo o Taso e avea ma St. Paulo, e le'i faia e ia? Pe aisea e le mafai ai ona ia taofia tagata leaga mai le faaleagaina o isi?” I se faaupuga faigofie tele – e le faigofie tele. Alofa, tiute tau amio, O le sa'olotoga e filifili ai ma le felagolagoma'i e matua felagolagoma'i ma o a'afiaga o a tatou galuega lelei ma leaga e masani ona a'afia ai isi., ma e masani lava i auala e le mafai ona tatou faamoemoeina. E pei o le tulaga o Tavita, se mea e foliga mai o se mea itiiti, na'o ni nai mea e aafia ai, e ono aafia moni ai le faitau afe. Ua na'o le a'afiaga o taimi pu'upu'u, ae o le Atua e sili atu ona lautele ma umi se vaaiga mamao. Ae o se vaaiga foʻi e faʻafefe i lana tautinoga e tuʻu a tatou filifiliga i o tatou lima i le tele e mafai ai. E oo lava i le taimi na taʻu atu ai e Iesu ia Saulo, “E faigatā ona e aa i tui,” sa ia tuu pea le filifiliga silisili ia Saulo (Acts 26:13-19).

I nisi taimi, o le taimi ma le mafuaaga o galuega a le Atua ua tatou le mautonu ai. Ae, e le pei o tatou, o lona malamalama utiuti i taunu'uga i le lumana'i e fa'amalosia ai i tatou e fa'alagolago i se faiga fa'amasinoga e fa'atatau i tulafono, E silasila le Atua i taunuuga uma o se mea na tupu. E lagona e le Atua, ma atamai i, e sili atu le lē tonu o le lalolagi nai lo i tatou (va'ai la'u tala ile ‘Feso’ota’iga’ a le Atua). Ma ua Ia folafola mai lona finagalo le mafai ona suia o le a iu lava ina taui ma sui ia i latou uma o e tumau i le faia o mea leaga.; ma le toe faaleleia mo i latou uma o e na mafatia ma le le tonu. Ae ua ia malamalama foi o le faalavelave tele pe vave foi i mataupu a tagata, o le taofia lea o tagata mai le ausia o lona malosi silisili.. E ui ina mata'utia, e masani lava ona na o le matauina o mafatiaga ma le faatafunaga e mafua mai i lo tatou manatu faapito faaletagata, e uunaʻia ai i tatou e saili le ala o le alofa lea na fautua mai ai le Atua mai lava i le amataga.. Ma e na o le pau lava le mea tatou te matauina ai le lelei ma le faaletonu o na alii ma tamaitai tulaga ese ua tulai mai i lo tatou lotolotoi., ia avea ma siamupini aloaia o le upumoni ma le faamasinoga tonu, ina ia amata ona tatou malamalama i le manaomia o a siamupini sili ma faamasino po o ai e mafai ona aumaia le manumalo silisili o le alofa i le leaga.