1/28/19

O Le Isi A'u Tala Mālie - 'Ae Aogā ...

O la'u tala mālie ae iai le aogā mo a'u, mo ‘oe ma i tatou uma lava.

Sa fai la'u lesona i le matou vasega faa-Sāmoa o le A'oga Sā i le taufa'ai'uga o le tausaga ua mavae.  O le ‘autū e faapea "Ma ‘Ou Tusi ai i ō Latou Loto" (I Will Write It in Their Hearts), mai i le tusi a Ieremia i le Feagaiga Tuai.  Lesona Numera 42.

Sa ‘ou talanoaina ai i lenei lesona le ‘ese'esega o le tūsia o polo'aiga poo le ‘upu a le Atua i nisi o faiga vaa'ia ma le tūsia i totonu o ō tatou LOTO.  Sa  aofia i la'u lesona le talanoaina o le upu TUUPAO.  O se upu Sāmoa.  O le ‘upu fo'i e lē o toe fa'aāogāina tele i le gagana o aso uma, ae o se ‘upu o lo'o maua i totonu o le Tusi Pa'ia.  O le uiga o le ‘upu tuupao, o fele, teuteu poo pito ‘ofu (fringes/borders).

E iai le tulāfono e ta'ua o le Tulāfono o Tuupao (Law of the Fringes).  E maua lenei tulāfono i le tusi o le Numera 15:37-41.  Sa pōloa'i le Ali'i iā Mose ina ia ta'u atu i le fanauga a Isarāelu ina ia faia ni tuupao i o latou pito ‘ofu.  O le fa'amoemoega ina ia tāula'i iai le va'ai ma fai ma faamanatuga ia te i latou o poloa'iga a le Atua ma ia latou tausia.

E tatau ona silafia e tatou o tagata o le Ekalesia a Iesu Keriso o le ‘Au Pa'ia o Aso e Gata Ai lenei tūlaga ona o se pōloa'iga e tāli tutusa lona faatatāu i le ‘ofu mālumālu (temple garment) ma mea poo feagaiga na te faamanatuina mai.  I le Feagaiga Fou, o lo'o tā'ua ai fo'i le tuupao i le tala i le fafine na ma'i i le puna toto (issue of blood) i le sefulu lua tausaga, ae ina ua pa'i atu i tuupao o le ‘ofu o le Fa'aola, na malōlō ai loa (Mataio 9:20–22, Mareko 5:25–34, Luka 8:43–48).

E iai la se vāivāiga ua masani ai tatou o le so'ona fai pe faia fo'i i ni ‘auala e tosina mai ai le va'ai a tagata ina ia maua ai so tatou vi'iga faale-tagata, ae tu'u le a'ano moni o le pōloa'iga poo a'oa'oga.  Ua amata fo'i ona faia i se faapogai sesē.  We do things for the wrong reason/s.  E pei lā o lenei.  Ua 'aumai le tulāfono o tuupao iā Isara'elu ae nonofo latou ma fai ni faiga, suiga ma uiga e lē sa'o ma so'ona fai.

I le Mataio 23:5, ua faamanatu mai ai e le Faaola ni faiga ma suiga e le ‘au faresaio i tuupao o ō latou ‘ofu, "ina ia iloa ai e tagata" (to be seen of men):

"Ua fai fo'i [e le 'au faresaio] galuega uma ina ia iloa ai e tagata; ua latou fa'alautele ia latou filateri, ma faatelē  i tuupao o latou ofu."
(But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments.)

O filateri, poo phylacteries, o tama'i pusa ia e fusia i le va o mata, faapea fo'i ma le lima o ni vaega o ‘ofu tatalo o tagata Sa Iutaia.  O nei tama'i pusa e tu'u iai i totonu ni vaega o le tulafono (law) e pei ona tūsia i le Teuterenome 6:8; 11:18 ma le Esoto 13:9, 16.  O filateri la e tutusa ō latou aogā ma faamoemoega e pei o tuupao ma pito ‘ofu - o le faamanatu lea i le tagata o tulafono, poloa'iga ia poo feagaiga fo'i ma le Atua.

O le mea la ua tupu, ua ‘aumai i le ‘au faresaio ua so'ona fai, ua fa'alautetele ma fa'alapopo'a e i latou o filateri ma tu'upao, ina ia faigofie ai "ona iloa mai i latou e tagata" ma maua ai so latou vi'iga.  E le o ni faiga sa'o pe tonu, o ni faiga inosia le fa'atetele o tuupao ma filateri e pei ona fautuaina mai.  E tusa ua magnify/broaden ma enlarge e le Sa Ituaia a latou "teuga" ae maise pe a 'auai atu e faia a latou sauniga ma tatalo, for the sole purpose of being "seen of men" and others.

Mo i tatou o tagata o le Ekalesia a Iesū Keriso, e le o iai ni tuupao o o tatou ‘ofu pei o ‘ofu o Sa Iutaia, PEITA'I,  e iai ni amioga tatou te faia e o gatasi pe uiga tutusa ma le "faatetele o ā tatou filateri ma tuupao" e pei ona faia e le ‘au faresaio.

Atonu e aofia ai nisi nei o uiga masani.

Muamua, o le ‘ofu/la'ei ose ‘ofu, ia poo ni a tatou tēuga (styles) i le lotu ma le faamoemoe e faaono maua ai so tatou vi'iga.  Ua le alu i le loku e kapua'i ma a'oa'o, ae ua alu e fa'aali le lautetele o ana tu'upao ma ona se'evae muli fao.  Mea fo'i gae o stilettos ea poo a ...Ioe, lavea loa i le ma'i, "ina ia iloa ai e tagata."

Lua, o le uma ona faia o se mea, ae maise se galuega fesoasoani poo galuega lelei ae toe nonofo i tatou ma toe faailoa ma faavi'ivi'i ia galuega.  E tusa ua toe ili lava e tatou a tatou foafoa/pu (doing a good deed and then "tooting our own horns" for having done such deeds).

E aofia ai lo tatou auai atu i le mālumālu, ae uma pu'e ni a tatou selfies poo ata ma faasalalau i nofoaga fai tele, pei o le social media.  Atonu e le āfaina ai ni ata o se faaipoipoga, faamāuga ma nisi aso faapitoa (special occasions).  Ae afai o se faiga masani i vaiaso ma masina taitasi lo tatou o atu i le malumalu, ae faamoemoe e faasalalau (publicize), e ala i ata ma ni faamatalaga, e mafai fo'i ona lavea lea faiga i le vaivaiga "ina ia iloa ai e tagata."  Ua tutusa lava lea ma le "faalautele o a tatou filateri ma enlarge tuupao o ō tatou ‘ofu."  Fai mai Peresetene Hunter, o le mālumālu o se faailoga o lō tatou membership, but not our "show"manship.

Lona tolu, o le vāivāiga lea ua ta'ua i le faa-Peretania o le "name-dropping".  O la'u faa-Samoa, o le "ta'uta'u igoa" po'o le  "fa'alauiloa-igoa" ae maise ai se igoa/suafa o se tagata lauiloa ma ta'uta'ua.
E mafi ai tatou o tagata o le Ekalesia, ae maise i nisi o le ‘au pulega sili (general authorities) i nofoaga faitele (in public).  E taumafai lava e maua sina avanoa e fegalegalea'i pe pu'e fo'i ni ata ma lea ta'ita'i, ona faasalalau loa lea i luga o le Initaneti poo le social media ma amata loa ona "namedrop" le suafa o lea ta'ita'i, faatasi ai ma nisi ta'ita'i.

O le uiga lenei o le upu lea o le "namedrop":

"To casually mention a well-known or famous person or their titles, often implying familiarity or association, especially in order to impress others or increase one's status..."
(O le tatou ta'uta'uina lea o igoa o ni tagata iloga ma le tāua, poo latou tōfiga/vala'auga fo'i, ina ia ātagia ai e tatou te masani pe uō, ae maise ina ia vi'ia ai tatou e isi pe si'itia ai fo'i so tatou tulaga....)

Ioe, ia lenā ... we namedrop our church leaders just to increase our STATUS - spiritual status, social status, ia poo le tatou Facebook status fo'i.🤣

E ao, ma ia matuā tatau, ona tatou fa'aāloālogia - ‘ae le o le so'ona fa'avi'ivi'i ma fa'alalanu - o o tatou ta'ita'i, ae maise le ‘au pulega sili (general authorities) i nofoaga faitele.  We should RESPECT - but not ADULATE - our leaders especially in public places, if/when we see them especially with hopes that we can boost our own image by fawning over them, or namedropping them online and elsewhere.  It's similar to "enlarging the borders of [our] garments" (no pun intended).

O le fautuaga mo i tatou i le vāivāiga lea o le "namedropping" - ia STOP IT! e pei fo'i ona fautua mai ai se tasi o ta'ita'i, ia poo la'u fo'i fautuaga e faapea: "DROP IT!" (pun intended).

Ia o si a'u tu'u alalo poo "tu'u pa'ō" atu lea i lenei itula 🤣 from my Sunday School lesson.

Faafetai

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