We are instructed to show hospitality to strangers, for unknown to us we may be entertaining angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)
Has anyone entered your life who was different? What was it about them that attracted or repelled you? Their differences? Have you ever said the right things out loud, I’m sure that I have many times, but inside things were a lot different for hospitality was neglected, so what was Jesus talking about in our reading for today? I have been pondering on two scriptures from Matthew which I would like to share with you. Matthew 25, verse 35, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” then in verse 43 in which he said, “I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me.”
Welcomed or not welcomed, “the mark of God is on the strangers face,” but inwardly they are not the same. We see so any different people in our walk of life, they don’t walk on the same path as we do. How many differences have we had in our thought life and in our outer life – such as, this has put all my plans for today on hold, when can I finish up that project that has taken so long to get finished? They sure are expecting a lot of me, do I really want to help right now? Can our heart be opened or closed? These are questions I have been asking myself: which is hospitality, and which is foolishness?
Hospitality has a way of challenging us, to see the doors we have locked in our hears. , we imprison ourselves. Strangers, have a way of showing us ourselves. They are like a mirror image for us to see ourselves and reveal our estrangement from ourselves and what doors we have closed. Can I be the person I want to be?
Hospitality isn’t so much about who the other person is or isn’t but who I am and how I want to be. Instead of making a guest list of who is welcome, maybe take inventories of what makes us feel lost, our fears, prejudices, judgements, scepticisms, and cynicisms, for these put locks on our heart’s door. Who are the strangers in our lives, or have we become a stranger to ourselves? What locks need to be unlocked, or have they been rusted shut on us? Can we find the right key to open any of these locks? These are a few of the tough questions I have been asking myself, and where do I find that key?
A meditation on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, took me over some of the questions I have been asking, what lead him to the life he chose to lead. Francis was born the son of a wealthy textile merchant when the middle class was coming into its own. His father’s wealth and Francis’s own natural charisma made him a leader in his own hometown. He gained a rock star following in the early 1200’s He remains famous today not for his words but for the key that opened him up to begin to follow Jesus’s words more closely, from Matthew, Hebrews, and Luke.
As a young person he earned, glory and recognition in battle. He enlisted to fight for Asisi, against a neighbouring city-state. The battle was lost, and he was imprisoned for a time. Defeat in battle and a serious illness in prison caused Francis to turn away from his visions of glory on the battlefield.
Francis’s path forward leads to taking inventory of where his life is leading him and questioning the path he had been following. Taking several turns to change his life and the lives of others by his example. There is a possibility that the two examples stand out as turning points in his life, leading to a new way of life, much closer to God.
On a pilgrimage to Rome, Francis saw a beggar outside a church. The Holy Spirit moved him to trade places with the beggar. Francis exchanged clothing with him, then spent the day begging for alms. This experience shook Francis to the core.
Later he had to confront his own fears of leprosy, by hugging a lepper, this left a deep mark on Francis. Shaped by his personal experiences with the beggar and the leper, he developed a strong identification with the poor and suffering. Francis then cut himself off from the opulent lifestyle of this family. Francis of Assisi was simply a man transformed by the love of God, and the joy that came from the deep understanding of all that God has done for us.
Francis’ approach to his Christian life fits with the words from todays scripture. He was invited to come to the table and stop whatever he was doing, then taking his place at the table. How can this relate to our lives here and now?
How many thankless jobs do we encounter every day. When you tidy up after yourself, do you receive thanks? Probably no one even notices but let time pass without doing the most mundane jobs, then listen to the comments, even directed at ourselves. Again and again, Francis was emboldened to trust God. The lives we are called to isn’t for cowards. Courage to change was shown by St. Francis, to leave each of us an example to follow each and every day, we are ready to accept the challenge as Francis did, right here, today.
O God, in the course of our busy lives, give us time to reflect and use our leisure, to rebuild our relationship with you and the Holy Spirit. We ask this through your son Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN
REFER TO:
Ezekiel 18:1-9
Hebrews 13:1-18
Luke 14:1,7-14