Opening our hearts to others, inviting them into our lives, sharing our possessions and making our resources available to them, this is the charism of hospitality as demonstrated in monasteries as centres of welcome and retreat. They give simply out of their abundance and poverty, sharing a simple meal with great love and allowing us the freedom of their home. It is a picture of extravagant love. . It is in welcoming the stranger that we welcome Christ, as in St Benedict’s rule. It is an attitude of heart, a way of life. We give things away freely, wanting to share the best we have, especially our creativity. It is in our willingness to be poor and in the common sharing of possessions that we become rich.
I struggle to make my library available to others, because I want my treasures to be kept in pristine condition and not dog-eared and spines broken, but how selfish! Books are wisdom shared and they have been a source of nourishment and hope, although how much more is wisdom increased when we are willing to let go and share our treasures, trusting the other person will not abuse what we give them. To give our best instills value in the other person; it declares that we think you are worth investing in, that you matter. In serving the poor, we don’t give them left-over sandwiches but a good stew made from the best of ingredients and freshly cooked.
Jesus invited the lowest one’s to sit in the place of honour, he invites them to a banquet with the choicest of foods. We are to give our best ideas away, to risk in sharing them that others will make them better and improve upon them and every contribution increases their potential benefit. We truly do go further together than on our own. What is our attitude to possessions, to money, to the way we see our homes? Is Christ at the Centre and is his presence felt by the dishevelled stranger as s/he crosses the threshold of our home?
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