Wini – The community of Wini participated in the community service activities organized by the students of ISFIT and UNWIRA. The community service activities took place on November 26, 2024, at various stations of Parish Wini.
At the station of Santo Paulus in Bairro Koko, Wini, the team of ISFIT and UNWIRA conducted a session on Understanding Canon Law for Catholic marriage. Father Subani, as the first speaker, spoke about Catholic marriage. He said, “The Bible becomes a guide for the family to become an exemplary family in the community, so other families can emulate them.” Husband and wife live together in the family to strengthen the sacramental nature, which is monogamy. The monogamous nature means that marriage is once in a lifetime. The Sacrament of Matrimony is for one woman and one man, not for a woman with a woman or a man with a man. Therefore, this monogamy is for one man and one woman to welcome God’s presence and their obligation is to take care of their children. Marriage is for a lifetime, meaning that marriage is not for the second time. Marriage means that God bestows grace upon the parents. This grace allows other people in society to feel God’s grace as well,” commented Father Subani.
At the same time, Father Oktavianus Naif shared about Marriage from a Missiological Perspective. He said, “The Holy Trinity is one. Therefore, we as humans are also one. What makes a man and a woman become one flesh cannot be separated. God places a person within the heart of the Lord, with one heart and one sign of unity, just like the Holy Trinity is one.”
Father Subani highlighted further that, “We have a family. This family is a small church. Therefore, within the family, one must read the Bible and pray. With this, the father, as the highest leader in
the family, leads the family. Prayer is our strength. Prayer also acts like an umbrella, saving us from dangers and protecting us from evil spirits. Therefore, we need to pray and read the Bible to feed our spirit. The home becomes like a church and a school that teaches us to do good. Finally, the home is also a place where we ask for forgiveness.”
On the same day, at the station of Santo Yosep Maesmolo, Wini also held an international seminar with expert speakers. They were Prof. Elídio A. Guterres and Father Anton Kapitan.
Prof. Elídio A. Guterres shared about Philosophical Views on Marriage and Their Implications for Family Life in the Community of Estasi Maesmolo. He based his thoughts on the ideas of Erich Fromm and Emmanuel Levinas. Prof. Elídio stated, “According to Erich Fromm, when we form a family or have a relationship between you and me, it should be based or founded on love. When we love, it means we do not just love the person but also take responsibility for the entire family as a man or a woman. Love cannot just use feelings alone but must also involve intellect.”
“Fromm also asserts that love has four important elements that need to be present: Care, Responsibility, Respect, and Knowledge. Additionally, there are four main principles to sustain love: Love must be based on a relationship, Responsibility, Love others or love oneself, Love the highest being, which is loving God,” highlighted Prof. Elídio.
Prof. Elídio further commented, “According to Emmanuel Levinas, he proposes that what is most important is the ethical relationship, meaning; looking beyond appearances, as when I see another person’s face, it represents the Face of God. This means it represents a face from God for us to also care for or be responsible for, which we must take care of and respect. Because many experiences in life show that women come with feelings and men come with reason. Therefore, there is a great possibility of not listening to each other or respecting each other, which is why Levinas proposes that in order to understand each other, we need to see or consider each other as representing the Divine Face.”
Father Anton Kapitan, as the second speaker, shared about Understanding Moral Values: Efforts to Maintain the Integrity of Marital Life for the Congregation in Wini Parish. Father Anton said, “If a person becomes one or has one heart, it means supporting and helping each other as a family with moral values. Moral values do not need to judge right or wrong but are important because they encourage doing good for oneself and for others. The ultimate goal of doing good or living well is happiness, and true happiness is the ultimate purpose of human life.
He further highlighted that examples of moral values include Fidelity, Honesty, Humility, Gentleness, Courage, Justice, Forgiveness, Sacrifice, Trust, and Cooperation. (Research Team)