Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Although my Mom died over 13 years ago, she has been on my mind a great deal recently. When I read today’s readings, it brought back memories of my Mom and the generous hospitality that she shared with many people throughout her life. Her graciousness did not come from her desire to attract praise or recognition, but emanated from her deep belief in God and His call to serve others with love and compassion.
I grew up where gatherings were wonderful celebrations of love and fellowship. I can remember numerous times when my Mom would invite large crowds to come to our home for a meal. There was always room for one more at the table, and no one would be excluded. She would spend days preparing the house and making the food to share with those who were invited. Since her death, there have been several times that people told me how welcomed and loved they felt when they came to our home because of my Mom. Many if not most of these people were not in a position to repay her, but Mom I think truly felt “blessed” because she could share our home, our food, and our love with those people who came to visit.
My Mom was always concerned first with our guests and their needs. If we were ever running low on food (which happened very infrequently) we would hear the code “FHB”- meaning “family hold back”. She was always trying to help us learn the importance of serving others and meeting their needs first and foremost before we would serve ourselves. Her life and the way that she lived taught us that we should “do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others.” (Phil 2: 4)
When I reflect on my Mom and how she was able to live this way, I recognize that she was able to be generous with her love and hospitality because she had experienced it first hand from God. As a child growing up, I knew that faith in God- in Jesus- was central in how my Mom lived her life. Every morning when we were growing up my Mom would go to church before she would return home to help us prepare for school. Even as she was suffering the final stages of cancer, a kind priest came and celebrated Mass in our home every day so my Mom could be close to Jesus. Her faith grounded her and allowed her to be generous with what she had because she knew that God would provide what was needed. She knew that Jesus lived His life serving others, and therefore she knew this was how she was called to live. Because of her welcoming and generous nature, many people experienced the love of Christ through my Mom throughout her life.
As Christians, each of us is called to be generous in welcoming people not only into our homes but into our lives. Jesus calls us to welcome all people “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and blind,” to be a part of our “banquet.” This takes us outside our narrow perspective, and encourages us to accept those that may be different from us. Having generous hospitality entails including those who may otherwise be excluded, rejected or alone. Sometimes I think this means that we need to seek out those who may be isolated and estranged and invite them to join us. We need to be inclusive not exclusive when we gather together. It is only with the participation of the Spirit that we can we live this generous hospitality. As disciples we must remain centered on Christ to help show us how to live in this selfless way. If we follow His lead, hopefully others will come to know the love of Christ and together we can all enjoy the heavenly banquet that He is preparing for us to enjoy when He calls us home.
"Heavenly Father, Your generosity is never ending. Your Son Jesus shows us how to give selflessly to others through love and acceptance. With the aid of Your Spirit, help us to live a life imitating Christ by our openness to others and our willingness to serve. We pray this through Christ, our LORD. Amen"
- Marylynn Herchline