Hospitality (13th Sunday Ordinary A)

I had this memorable experience of hospitality afforded to me by the community where I was assigned to several years ago. I was there to established a new parochial community. Several families pledged to provide for my daily meals. On the second Sunday of my stay, I thanked them at mass for bringing food each day but advised them not to bring too much since I couldn’t finish all they were giving me and I didn’t have any storage appliance for the extra. Two days later, a refrigerator was delivered at my door!

But what evoked a prayer of blessing in my heart was another amazing hospitality of a mother: It was raining heavily the whole morning. So by lunchtime I prepared a can of sardines as I did not expect someone to bring me food. As I sat at table, a woman drenched by the rain came knocking at the door. She brought food for me mindless of the heavy rain. I was simply dumbfounded as she even apologized for being a bit late. I invited her to eat with me so as to wait for the rain to subside. She told me she had to go because her kids were waiting for her. And she braved the heavy rain once again to go home. As she left, my heart spontaneously uttered a prayer: “Lord, behold that woman. Bless her and her family a hundredfold!”

Hospitality is a religious act. Receiving and providing for the needs of even a stranger is an act of welcoming God himself. Hence, it deserves God’s gracious reward. In the first reading (2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a), Elisha, God’s prophet, was received well by a rich woman in Shunem. She would invite him to her house to eat and even made a small upper room for him where he could stay and rest. She did this because she was aware that Elisha was a holy man of God. This woman happened to be without a child and her husband was already old. Elisha, recognizing the woman’s hospitality, called for her and pronounced the blessing: “By this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.” God rewarded this woman’s hospitality with a son, the greatest blessing a woman could ever wish for!

God’s heart can be moved by the simplest act of hospitality and can let his grace overflow abundantly on anyone who manifests kindness, generosity and warm welcome to God’s representatives.

To welcome the messenger is to receive the one who sent him/her. This is made clear by Jesus in today’s gospel reading (Mt 10:37-42): “Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes him who sent me.” Jesus assures his disciples, after laying out the hard demands of discipleship, that following him merits respect and charity after all. Discipleship deserves hospitality which in turn is rewarded generously by God.

Hospitality, as a religious act, may be expressed towards three categories of disciples—1) towards the one sent by God as his messenger (prophet), 2) towards a righteous man, 3) towards the little ones. “Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose his reward” (v. 41-42).

Hence, we may do well practicing our virtue of hospitality in three forms:

As support for those working for the Lord’s mission. The apostles and the prophets were sent by the Lord for God’s purposes—basically that of proclaiming the Gospel. The Church continues to do the mission of the Lord until now. Whatever assistance extended to those who have given their lives for the work of evangelization is hospitality that deserves the reward promised by the Lord to his prophets.

As assistance to any righteous man. Any saintly member of the Christian community who promotes in his work and life the values of justice, harmony and peace, dignity and rights of people deserves hospitality which, in turn, is rewarded by the Lord.

As gesture of concern for the poor. The insignificant members of the community—the least, the last and the lost—are the “little ones” of the Lord. The Lord has always identified himself with the poor. Thus, even the simplest act of hospitality afforded the poor is acknowledged by the Lord and “will not go unrewarded.”

As a priest, I have always been a recipient of the hospitality of people from all walks of life, from the rich and poor alike, precisely because I am a priest—someone consecrated for God’s work. I have had many amazing experiences of warm welcome, heartfelt concern, and generous provision of my needs. I am deeply grateful for every act of hospitality afforded me. And always, aware of the promise of our Lord to reward any welcoming gesture shown to his disciples, I pray this prayer as often as there is a hospitable act: “Lord, behold this kindness. Bless this person and his/her family a hundredfold. Amen.”