Maundy Thursday Mass in Kupang, People are Invited to Practice Unlimited Love

Holy Thursday mass celebrations in Kupang call on people to practice unlimited love.

KOMPAS/KORNELIS KEWA AMA

The Catholic community at Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in Penfui celebrated Holy Thursday Mass on Thursday (28/3/2024). The Mass was led by Pastor Dami Lengari OCD and attended by around 3,000 Catholic believers.

KUPANG, KOMPAS — Thousands of Catholics in Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara, attended mass< /a> Holy Thursday, Thursday (28/3/2024). On that occasion, Catholics were invited to practice unlimited love towards all people in need without distinction of ethnicity, religion and origin.

“Christians are called to carry out the first and foremost law, namely love. "True love is the basis for believing in God, as well as being called to love one another," said Father Dami Lengari in mass at the Church Saint Joseph Workers Penfui Parish, Kupang.

The Mass was attended by thousands of Catholic devotees who filled the room and courtyard of the church building. The Holy Thursday Mass was intended to commemorate the event of Jesus washing the feet of the twelve apostles as a symbol of selfless service, as well as the last supper of Jesus with the apostles.

The mass was colored by heavy rain that poured over most of Kupang City. The mass was held five times. The first mass was held at 3:00 pm WITA and was attended by around 3,000 Catholic worshipers, as were the following masses. After the first mass, the worshipers were greeted by heavy rain and strong winds at the church's entrance.

Also read: Maundy Thursday Message from Larantuka, Unconditional Love

KOMPAS/KORNELIS KEWA AMA

During the Holy Thursday Mass in Kupang on Thursday (28/3/2024), Father Dami Lengari OCD was washing the feet of the apostles, representing 12 individuals from each community group in the parish.

In his sermon, Lengari said that Jesus set an example to serve, not to be served. However, at present, many people who have become leaders always want to be served, not to serve. This mentality has a negative impact on leadership itself.

However, according to Lengari, Jesus has set an example of behavior of love and willingness to serve in the event of washing the feet of the apostles. In that event, Jesus took off his white robe and wore a tattered black cloth, then he humbly washed the feet of the 12 apostles without discrimination.

In addition to washing the feet of the apostles, Jesus also held the Last Supper with the apostles that night. The values ​​from these two important events can be applied by Christian believers in their communal lives.

Also read: Archbishop of Kupang Reminds Concern for Others

Lengari stated that true love is manifested in a gentle and unlimited generosity and kindness. Therefore, people are invited to not calculate profit and loss or consider background when sharing with others.

"Nowadays, many leaders are acting arbitrarily towards the common people because they rarely speak out to defend themselves or retaliate. Common people, or often called the poor, mostly choose to surrender, remain silent, and follow the will of those considered influential in society," said the pastor from the Discalced Carmelite Order of Indonesia (OCD) in Kupang.

KOMPAS/KORNELIS KEWA AMA

On Maundy Thursday, all statues or sculptures inside the church are draped with white cloth, as the liturgical color of the Catholic Church, a symbol of purity and sincerity in service. The majority of the attending congregation also wear white clothes even though it is not required by the church.

One of the mass participants, Vinsen Kredok Dore (45), said that the call for love and mutual assistance should continue to be promoted amidst the current difficult situation. This is because, in recent times, the prices of various basic needs have skyrocketed.

"The ones who can survive are the wealthy people, while the community who do not have permanent jobs or solely rely on dry land farming are becoming increasingly helpless. Possessions cannot be brought to the grave, except for charitable deeds and compassion towards the less fortunate, which will be remembered. The White Thursday event reminds us to emulate Jesus," said Vinsen.