Mathe V.K. Ntsekhe

Listening to Ntate Pakalitha Mosisili orate in Sesotho is a masterclass in linguistics, cultural philosophy, and deep spiritual introspection. When unpacking the concepts surrounding death, he reframes mourning through everyday Sesotho idioms, revealing that our ancestors never viewed death as a final termination, but rather as a transition, a return, and a journey. He breaks down these expressions with remarkable clarity: Ho Hlokahala: In everyday speech, when someone says, “Ua hlokahala lapeng,” they do not mean you are deceased; they mean your presence is urgently needed at home. Applying this to death reframes our understanding entirely. A person does not simply vanish; they are called away because their presence is required elsewhere by their Creator. They leave this earthly station because they are needed in the next. Ho Feta: Closely tied to this is the idea of passing on. O fetile signifies that life in this world was merely a temporary passage. He was here, he did not establish permanent residency, and when his time came, he moved forward along the path. Ho Oroha: Livestock owners understand this principle deeply. Beng ba mehlape baa tseba hore liphoofolo tsa bona li ea naheng, ’me ho na le nako eo li tla oroha, li tle lapeng. The animals graze out in the open pasture during the day, but at dusk, they return to the safety of the kraal. In the same way, the Master of our flock allows us out into the open pasture of this world. Eventually, the evening comes, the time arrives to return home, and we head back to where we truly belong. Ho Robala Boroko ba ho Qetela: This speaks directly to the hope of resurrection and eternal life. To sleep implies an eventual awakening. You close your eyes in this final earthly rest, holding onto the assurance that there is an awakening on the other side. Building on this transition from one state to another, Ntate Mosisili draws a vivid picture from Qacha's Nek. He reflects on the ferryman at the river, a man whose sole duty is ho tšelisa batho ka sekepe, ferrying passengers across deep, dangerous waters from one riverbank to the other. In Sesotho, ho tšelisa carries a profound dual meaning: it means to ferry someone across a body of water, and it also means to comfort the bereaved. He likens those who offer condolences (ba khothatsang beng ka mofu) to that ferryman. In moments of loss, the bereaved stand stranded on a bank of crushing sorrow and despair. Through their prayers, their presence, and their words of comfort, these comforters actively ferry the grieving across the turbulent waters toward the opposite shore of peace and acceptance. This mirrors the biblical psalm: one is not meant to pitch a tent and live permanently in the valley of the shadow of death (ho lula khohlong ea moriti oa lefu). Rather, one is meant to walk through it (ho feta). Through the gift of matšeliso, our comforters step in as the ferrymen of the soul, using their prayers and wisdom ho re tšelisa, safely guiding us across grief to the other side.