Betlehemu—Icipasho ca Kwikatana kwa Bwina Kristu no Kutemwa?

“BETLEHEMU . . . bushinino bwa kutemwa kwabule mpela, lisambililo mu kuicefya.”—Maria Teresa Petrozzi, umwine wa citabo ca Bethlehem.

Bushe Betlehemu apilibula icintu cimo icapala ico kuli iwe? Nakalimo e fyo, apantu imyanda ya mamilioni ya bantu bafumacumi, abatemwa umutende ukupulinkane calo conse balolesha mu kucindikisha ku Betlehemu, ukucilisha mu kati ka nshita ya Krisimasi. Baliba abaibukila ukuti uyu musumba wacepa uwa ku Middle East cifulo cafyalilweko “Cilolo wa mutende,” Yesu Kristu. Pa myanda ya myaka aba nyendo sha butotelo balikonkomokela kuno ku kutandalila cimo ica fifulo fyashilisha ifya Kristendomu kabili nakalimo ukucishinshimuna. Ico ni Ulucengo lwa Nativity, icifulo cafyalilweko Yesu Kristu ica cishilano. Caba mu cikuulwa capikana icikalamba, ica kucindama kwa mu lyashi lya kale icitwa Calici lya Nativity.—Esaya 9:6; Mateo 2:1.

Nangu cibe fyo, mu cituntulu, bushe ifi fifulo fya mushilo ifya cishilano fyalibomba nge ncende sha kutontapo kusakamana isha kwikatana kwa Bwina Kristu, ukutemwa, no kuicefya? Cinshi ulesondwelela ukufuma ku fyakonkapo?

Kalemba wa ciKatolika Maria Teresa Petrozzi alandapo muli Bethlehem ukuti: “Ukutampa mu mwanda wa myaka walenga 16, [Betlehemu] aculile ukufuma ku kushomboka kwakaluka kabili ukwa kusumyo mulopa pa kati ka ba ciLatin [baRoma Katolika] na baGreek [abasumina aba Orthodox ya ciGreek] pa mulandu wa kuteka mwi calici lya Nativity.” Uku “kushomboka kwa kusumyo mulopa” ukwa kubwekeshabwekeshapo ku kulama ilingi line kwashimpilwe pa lutanda lwa silfere mu Lucengo lwa Nativity, ulwabela pa nshi, mwi samba lya Calici lya Nativity. Ulu lutanda lwasoswa ukwishibisha icifulo cine cine icafyalilweko Kristu. R. W. Hamilton acita lipoti mwi buku lyakwe The Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem ukuti: “Cintu caishibikwa bwino bwino ukuti fibili ifya fipusho mu kupashanya pa kati ka France na Russia icatungulwile ku nkondo ya Crimea fyakumine ku kutunga kwa kulwishanya ku kukwata imfungulo sha minshi ikalamba iya basilica ne ya [Lucengo lwa Nativity] yafiswa, no kwiba kwa mu nkama ubushiku bumo mu 1847 ukwa lutanda lwa silfere ulwakwete icilembo ca ciLatin ulwaingishiwe mu libwe lya marble pe samba lya cipailo ca Nativity.”

Pamo nge ca kufumamo ca kukansana kwatwalilila ukwa kupuminkana kwa tubungwe twa butotelo ukupulinkana mu myanda ya myaka yonse pa nsambu muli ifi fifulo, “insambu sha kabungwe ka butotelo kamo kamo shalondololwa nomba mu kusakamanishisha. Pa nyali 53 mu lucengo, ku ca kumwenako, abakonka Francis basuminishiwa 19. Icipailo ca Nativity ca baGreek, kabili aba ciLatin tabasuminishiwa ukucitilamo amapepo mulya.”—Historical Sites in Israel.

Mu kati ka nshita ya Krisimasi, nga ca kuti imibele ya bupolitiki yasuminisha, abekashi ba butotelo bumo bumo aba Kristendomu abalipo balacita Iminsa yabo iine iya Krisimasi no kukwata ukwenda kwa kusefya ukupulinkana Betlehemu. Pa December 24 na 25, aba ciLatin balakwata ukwenda kwa kusefya ne Minsa ya bushiku pa kati ke Calici lya Saint Catherine, mupepi na Calici lya Nativity, ilyakanwa nomba ku macalici ya Orthodox ya ciGreek ne ciArmenia. Pa January 6, amacalici ya Orthodox ya ciGreek, iciSyria, ne ciCopt yalasefya Iminsa yabo iya Krisimasi. Pa January 18, Iminsa ya Krisimasi iya Orthodox ya ciArmenia ilacitwa, mu kuba no kwenda kwa kusefya pa January 19.

Bushe ifili pa mulu filetubululo kuti ififulo fya mushilo ifya cishilano ifya Betlehemu fili ‘bushinino bwa kutemwa kwabule mpela, isambililo mu kuicefya’? Mu kulundako, bushe filabelebesha icine pa lwa mibele ya kufyalwa kwa kwa Yesu? Ku ca kumwenako, ni lilali afyelwe? Bushe mu cine cine afyalilwe mu cili nomba Lucengo lwa Nativity? Kabili bushe wene nelyo umuntu umbi alingile ukushinshimuna icifulo cakwe ica kufyalilwako?

[Abatusuminishe Ukubomfya Icikope pe bula 3]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.