Lenten Reflection: The Call to Holy Hospitality
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels unawares.” — Hebrews 13:2
The theme of our Lenten newsletter this season is “welcome.” When this theme was presented to me by our Ministry Associate for Communications and Engagement, I was a bit taken aback as I questioned the connection between Lent and welcome.
Perhaps Lent, whose ultimate invitation is to “return” to the Lord, is the most appropriate time to reflect on what it means to open to reconciling ourselves with God and humanity with each other as an act of hospitality. The theological premise of reconciliation is the recognition that there is a brokenness in relationship. The incarnation, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus are the means through which the veil of separation between humanity and God is torn and we are invited to partake of the radical hospitality and welcome given to us through faith in Christ Jesus. That very theological premise also gives us the lens through which we as humans are invited to receive God and our fellow human beings.
Given the zeitgeist, based on the theological premise above, I began to ask myself two fundamental questions: What if the act of radical welcome and hospitality is a doorway to encountering God in a new way? What if the act of welcoming and hospitality are divine gifts that reflect the virtue of love? In reflecting on these questions, there were two stories that came to my mind. The first rooted in the Hebrew scriptures and the second from Greek Mythology.
In Genesis 18, Abraham and Sarah welcome three mysterious visitors to their tent in the heat of the day. Though they do not yet realize their divine nature, Abraham and Sarah instinctively provide water for their feet, a meal of bread and meat, and a place of rest. Their simple yet extravagant hospitality is met with an astonishing revelation—one of the guests declares that Sarah will bear a son, despite her old age. What begins as an ordinary meal becomes a moment of divine promise, transformation, and hope. In welcoming the stranger, Abraham and Sarah welcomed the messengers of God or as Russian iconographer, Andrei Rublev alludes that the angels symbolize the Trinity.
Another story comes from the ancient Greek myth of Baucis and Philemon where a similar scene unfolds. They are an elderly couple living in humble poverty. When two strangers—who are actually Zeus and Hermes in disguise—arrive at their home, they offer what little they have: olives, wine, and a meager meal. Their generosity, given with pure hearts and without expectation, is rewarded with divine favor. The gods protect them from a coming flood and grant their wish to remain together even in death, transforming them into intertwined trees—an eternal sign of faithfulness and hospitality.
When the philosopher writing the Book of Hebrews admonishes us to welcome strangers, he is offering a commentary on the lived experience of the ancients as well as a direction on how to welcome stranger rooted in the life of Jesus Christ. As Jesus’s summary of the ten commandments – The Law – and the parable of the Good Samaritan underscore, our love of God is revealed through our care for our neighbor. The ordering of that care does not distinguish or classify people based on economic, social, cultural, ethnic, or religious identity markers. Our love for God is made manifest in our care for our neighbor. As St. Paul reminds The Church: for in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)
In a world where the narrative of “might” makes right and selfishness harbors over greed, the Biblical narrative is quite clear about how we, as Christians, are called to live in our current times. What if these narratives reflect the role of The Church in providing sanctuary to those who most desperately need it? What if we are invited to look beyond the externalities that are constructed by human sins as barriers and evaluate our own prejudices?
I believe that central to hospitality is making space for God. This conversion experience of allowing ourselves to bask in the radiance of God’s holiness – God’s love and concern for the oppressed, the hungry, the destitute, those seeking safety – and prompts us to have the mind of God’s incarnate son, Christ. To have the mind of Christ allows us to imbibe the word of God and to open our hearts to the stranger; for, we may be welcoming Christ himself. Jesus said I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. (St. Matthew 25:35)
Lent is the season of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. We do these acts as the cultivation and embodiment of the spiritual discipline of hospitality. For when we do, we may just find that our simple, humble welcome becomes a doorway to God’s transforming grace.
Fr. Manoj+
The Rev. Dr. Manoj Mathew Zacharia, Rector