Christian hospitality is not about being nice, anybody can be nice: even evil-doers can be nice to each other. Christian hospitality is about recognizing Christ in the other, as Saint Benedict wrote in the rule of life for his monks: “Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, ‘I came as a guest, and you received Me.’”
Christian hospitality is to worship, adore and serve Christ as Mary, Martha’s sister, did at his feet. Christian hospitality requires a generous heart. Throughout the centuries the Church has been hospitable because it is an integral part of her mission. Christians are called to recognize Christ in the needy, especially the sick, the hungry, the aged, the stranger and the imprisoned.
In the early Church, Romans were attracted to the Church because she took care of the poor, widows and orphans, the most vulnerable and disenfranchised members of Roman society. The 4th century Roman Emperor Julian (the Apostate, as he became to be known) even instituted a welfare system to prevent more conversions to the Church. Julian wrote, “these impious Galileans (meaning Christians) not only feed their own poor, but ours also; welcoming them into their meals, they attract them, as children are attracted, with cakes.”
The well-known author C.S. Lewis wrote, “next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.”
The Church has and continues to show hospitality. The Church has and continues to welcome Christ with a generous heart when encountering the other. The Church has and continues to applaud all efforts in society that help the needy and the poor.
In 2013, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi reported to the United Nations Human Rights Council that the Church operates 547 care homes for lepers worldwide along with 18,179 medical dispensaries, 34,331 social rehabilitation facilities and 5,305 hospitals (of which 639 are in the United States). The Catholic Church also runs 17,223 homes for the elderly, 9,882 orphanages and countless soup kitchens and clothes closets. He also noted that the Church educates over sixty million students in institutions ranging from grade schools to universities.
Catholic Charities USA is ranked as the 15th largest charity in the United States by Forbes, preceded by other large institutions such as United Way, the Salvation Army, and Goodwill.
As Christians we must be keenly aware that our faith is not restricted to the walls of a building. Our faith pours out from what happens in church. Our faith pours out from our recognition of Christ in the Eucharist and moves us to recognize Christ in the other. We would never trample over the Eucharist… yet so often we trample over Christ present in our neighbor through our indifference, jealousy, envy, harshness, and gossip.
In every expression of hospitality to our neighbor we join Abraham in being hospitable to the three strangers who visited him, and we join in Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet. Christian hospitality is not a choice, but a command from Christ who teaches us to love our neighbor as He has loved us. Christian hospitality is not about being nice, but recognizing the author of life and goodness in your neighbor.
Picture is mine, all rights reserved. Cusco, Peru, 2016.
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