13th Sunday of Ordinary Time A: Hospitality–Welcoming the Lord
2nd July, 2017.
Our readings this week begin with a wonderful little story about the prophet Elisha from the Second Book of Kings. (2 Kings 4:8-10, 14-16a) “One day Elisha was passing through Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to have a meal. So…She said to her husband, “Look, I am sure that this man.. is a holy man of God. Let us make a small roof chamber with walls, …so that he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” Elisha wanted to do something for her in return.He found out that she and her husband did not have any sons and that child bearing time was over.This was a serious situation because it was up to sons to care for their parents in their old age.Elisha prophesied that God would reward her by giving her a son. And the prophecy was fulfilled. This is a beautiful story of hospitality and the love of God.
I love the story. Every time I read this, I always wonder what if Elisha is not a holy man, but a homeless, will the Shunemmite woman do the same? After children’s baptism, many of us like to invite the priest to lunch or dinner to celebrate. How about the parishioners setting up the baptismal font, the altar server holding the book of rite for the priest, the lay minister organizing the baptism preparation, the parishioner doing the clean-up, etc, should they be invited to the celebration too?
The bible teaches us that each person should be welcomed as though one were welcoming God himself.Jesus stressed on this virtue in today’s Gospel, (Matthew 10:37-42). “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me …… and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” Hospitality means encountering the presence of God in others, usually in those whom we least expect.
I am sure many of you have heard the story. A newly appointed pastor dressed himself as a homeless person and went to the church where he was to be introduced as the new pastor after mass. He walked around at the entrance of church before mass for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service. They also brought food for the pot-luck after mass to welcome the new pastor. Only 3 people said hello to him, most looked the other way and walked around him. He asked people for food because he was hungry. Everyone ignored him. He finally went in the church and sat down in the front and was told by the ushers that he would need to get up and go sit in the back. He said hello to people as they walked in but was greeted with cold stares and dirty looks. He sat through the mass. Before the final blessing, the presider said "I would like to introduce you to our new Pastor. He will replace me starting next month." The congregation stood up and looked around clapping with joy and anticipation. The homeless man stood up and started walking down the aisle. That's when all the clapping stopped. With all eyes on himhe walked up and reached for theambo. He stood there for a moment and then recited so elegantlya verse from Matthew 25:34-40 ….“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ……Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, ….?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,you did it to me.” After he recited this, he introduced himself as Fr. Joe, their new pastor and told the congregation what he had experienced that morning. The whole church was silent and you could hear a pin drops. Then many began to cry and bow their heads in shame.
The virtue of welcoming is the virtue of recognizing the presence of God in others and nourishing this presence.When we practice this virtue, then the stranger among us is no longer a stranger, but a member of the family, welcomed, like Elisha, to enjoy a room in our house, our Church. Today we pray for the virtue of welcoming, an openness to God’spresence in ways we least expect.