Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Am I hospitable? Do I allow others to welcome me with hospitality? These were the questions that crossed my mind as I read today’s readings. I’m going to let my prayer and reflection rest on those questions.
When I first asked myself if I was hospitable I affirmed that I was. I want people in my home to feel welcome and I never want them to feel rushed or pushed aside. But what sets that apart from politeness? Am I truly hospitable or am I merely polite? I want the people in my home to feel welcome, but do I wish to welcome those who aren’t in my home? I offer the food and drink that I care to share, but are they the ones my guests care to have? Is my desire to help them feel at home or like part of the family?
As these questions surfaced, a conversation with a dear friend emerged in my memory. We talked about how we place the burden of hospitality on the guest. We ask if they want a piece of fruit instead of setting it on the table, we ask if they want water instead of just pouring them a glass, we ask if we can make them coffee instead of offering to pour them a cup of the coffee we just made. We seem, albeit unintentionally, to put the preservation of our material goods above the welcome our guest experiences.
This is distinctly different than how Abraham treats the Lord. He runs to the three men immediately and requests the honor of serving. How often do I view hospitality as a burden and not an honor? The second conviction was in the Lord’s acceptance.
Have you ever uttered these words, “No, I’m ok, I don’t need anything?” I know I have and they came to mind as I read this passage. God needs nothing and still accepts our hospitality. Having welcomed us into the family, God still offers us the chance to welcome Him into our own families. We see this not just in the reading from Genesis, but in the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. After Jesus heals her, he accepts her hospitality, not in payment, but as a grace because she is a better person for being hospitable. Do I allow others to grow in the virtue of hospitality or do I assert my self-sufficiency as I remind them that I don’t need anything?
Finally, I was encouraged to follow this investigation into hospitality as I read the psalm for today. It isn’t from the Psalms, it is Mary’s Magnificat. Her song of praise after the hospitality she received from Elizabeth, the hospitality she extended God, and the hospitality she experienced in God’s desire to bring her into his plan for salvation. As we reflect on today’s readings and recall how scandalously God welcomes us, we can ask ourselves how we can grow in hospitality and humility.
- Spencer Hargadon