FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK……         

JULY 11, 2004

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

Do you remember the song titled; "LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO 'ROUND"?  Love is a popular term in music that we listen to for our pleasure and relaxation.  However, the kind of love that is mentioned in the lyrics of popular songs today does not bring real happiness.  That is because most often it is self-centered and looks only to personal advantage.  There is another kind of love, though.
It's the kind of love mentioned in the scripture readings for this Sunday:  Deuteronomy and St. Luke's Gospel.  Its center is in God and in others.  I once saw the word joy as an acrostic.  The letter "j" spelled the word Jesus.  The letter "o" spelled the word others.  And the letter "y" spelled the word yourself.  When we put the Lord first in our lives and others second and ourselves third, we begin to experience real joy--the kind of joy the Good Samaritan in Luke's Gospel came to know in his life.  Try putting this into practice this week in your daily routines.  See if it doesn't make a great difference!

                                  Sincerely yours in Christ,

      Fr. Ray Tintle, OFM
       Pastor