Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Boundaries of Love

The prophet Hosea declared on behalf of God: It is love that I desire, not sacrifice. In Matthew’s
gospel Jesus quotes this a little differently: It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice. In either case, the
message is the same: God is less interested in our specifically religious practices and more
interested in the way we treat others.

Perhaps it is better to say that religious practices are pleasing to God when they reflect the
lives of people who are in right relationship to other people. The problem with so many of
us that our piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away.

We do not love as Christ teaches. We see Jesus eating with tax collectors and those who disregard the
law, but when he tells us, Follow me, we hesitate because it is hard to mix with the outcasts of
the world.

It is, after all, the Christian majority in our country which isolates the homeless, pours con-
tempt on the poor, and legislates into existence those death rows which house the kind of
sinners Jesus said he came to call.

Words cannot measure the boundaries of love for those born to new life in Christ Jesus. We need to ex-
pand the boundaries of our response to that love.
Gerald Darring

“The option or love of preference for the

poor . . . is an option, or a special form of pri-
macy in the exercise of Christian charity, to
which the whole tradition of the Church bears
witness.

It affects the life of each Christian inasmuch as

he or she seeks to imitate the life of Christ, but
it applies equally to our social responsibilities
and hence to our manner of living, and to the
logical decisions to be made concerning the
ownership and use of goods.”
Pope John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987) 42

June 8, 2008
Some καιρός / kairos thoughts…
καιρός / kairos—Greek—time—viewed as an occasion rather than an extent

Yes, Francis
the fool
had chosen
to listen to
his heart

(or did he
choose)

so swelled the
music there
he could not
hear his
condemning
mind nor
the minds
Prayer List
of others Pray the rosary for world peace, Avis Cox, Fr. Clarence Biggers, Gladys and
condemning— Ben Kramkowski, Rita Moenk, Doug Bearden, Sarah Snider, Thornton/Lynch
family, Ryan Amsberry, Annie & family, Connie, her mother & family, Blake,
Erik, Campbell family, Jonathan & family, Sharon & family, Will, FMS, Cap.
he would walk Corp., Patrick & Brittany, Broughman family, Fannie Crowder & family, VAL,
miles Father Ingram’s father & family, Karen’s mother, Cheryl Mobley & family,
William Hudson, Robert, Walter, Danielle, Christopher, Barbara, Katherine,
to his friend's Nicholas, Kaylin, Kasie, Mary Beth & family, Mary Ann Mahoney & family,
house for Donna & family, Ann Chancellor & family, Sheila & family, cancer patients &
a cookie families, military & families, Brandon, Plantation Villa residents, Don, Mrs.
Carpenter, Mr. & Mrs. Rooks, Katherine & family, Mr. Dunn, Mr. & Mrs.
Barlow, Jane & family, Scott & family, Diane & Peter, Michele & Gary, Lucy’s
for he could father & family, Bobbie, Joan & family, Karl’s mother & family, June & family,
be kind Tina & family, Belinda & family, OLM family, Kat, Delgratia & family, Mr.
Gomez & family, Sara’s mother, Dr. Lynch & family, Rob/Allie & family,
to Brother Ass Chuck & family, Frank & family, Liesa & family, mother of Dr. Petros, Dr.
Issa & family, Odessa, Anita’s mother & family, Ruby, Ruby’s mother &
his body family, Davies family, Katie & family, family of Angie, Ann & family, Gretchen
& family, Eileen, Scott & family, Robert, Flavia & family, Tony’s family, Roy &
Martha Wright, Roy, Alice Swygert, Alan, Nard, Tony, Glenda, Nelson, J. Bob,
as well as Munn, Vogt, Wolfe families, Russell & family, Ola, Gene Wilson & family,
the birds Jane Brock & family, Janet Kramer & family, Elayne & family, Winnie, Phil &
who clothed family, Tony, Stan, Emily & family, Ruthie & Ed, Mr. Bergin & family, Russell
& family, Mrs. Sanseverino & family, CC Center, veterans & families Jessie
him with Emmett, Mark, Michael’s mother, Carrie, VAMC, Rambo’s mother & family,
their song Josephine Mary, Mary Anna, S. Paul, Tony, J. W. Wilson & family, Jason &
Kim, Josie, Kelly, Mickey’s family, Jon & Janet Cook & family, Karen’s cousin,
Mike Aguado & family, Carl & family, Dr. Lopez & family, Dr. Vanapalli &
and feathers family, Dr. Nair & family, Garrett & family, family of Duffie, Aaron Christian,
J. Janda Poem from liturgy.slu.edu Marina & family, Mitchell’s father & family, Estella’s mother & family, Kerry’s
mother & family, Gail & family, Beth & family, Bernard, Anna & family, Sara
Lucas & family, Mary Gilliam & family, Gary & Sharon Creed, Barbara Carl,
James & Phyllis Wham, Dan Kessler, Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Fry, David Hempen,
God chooses his workers despite their hu- Steve Kirkland, Michael Cofer, Buddy Brasher, Lana Adams-Tidwell, Kathy
McGhee, Michael & family, Berger family, Mendez family, Ikai family, Joshua
man failings: Abraham and Sarah, too “old” Moser, Stephanie Christian, Carolyn Williamson, Joey Milani, Peggy Cable,
Claude Rickman, Patricia Finch, Kathy Weaver, Anderson family, Chris Stahler
to do anything “useful”; Matthew, a tax col- family, Barbara Zebertas & family, Frances Homsey, Gus Kneidinger, Mary Jo
Shamas, Heim family, Nancy Fisher, Frank, Mary Ondovchik, Ann Rudy,
lector for the Roman occupiers; and each of Chad Nostrant, Heidi FitzGerald, Ed & Kathy Schaffer, Lynn Smith, Amy &
us. Sinners and the useless are saved by their family, Julian Campbell, Elaine Cole, Elysa Cole-Ali, Eric Hawthorne, Leroy &
Lynn Burrows, Shirley Walton, Marie McDemmond, Anthony Morgan, Sylvia
faith. Our faith witnesses to the resurrection. Ponder, Marion Chineworth, Ana Maria Molano, Alvaro & Carlos Penogos,
Erwin Molano, Ligia Restrepo, Valerie Panter, Dames family, Frances James,
Jesus died for our sins and was raised up to Tony Pinson, Carlo Dellaquila, Katherine Catti, Maria Beck, Joanna & Michael
Spataro, Virginia Bufano & family, Stephanie & Mark Fletcher, Justino Prado,
life to justify—to save—us. We share this Kathaleen Michalek, Michelle Carroll, Connie Graham, Sonya Robinson,
Pauline Walker, Paula & children, Dorene Trumble, Danielle Vincent, Russ
witness with our ancestors, and we will share family, Kevin Jr, Paul Williams, Sikes family, Melanie & Matt Stanley, Dawn
Ruberti, Gary Toler, Tena Green, Hammond family, Reece Grogan, Beverly
with our descendants in God’s family. Barrett, Vernessa Britt, Family of Hattie Jackson, Sr. Mary Bonaventure,
Remember this! Liam’s friend & community, Kevin Diehl, graduates and families, E & C, Beth,
Patrick, Brittany & family, Robert, Jessie & family
Philip J. Sandstrom, S.T.D. © 2001 Oregon Catholic Press. All rights reserved.