Ever since attending the Area Vocation Contacts Meeting that was held in the fall, I have been thinking about our call to hospitality. During that meeting, the concept of hospitality was described as the grace of welcoming and being welcomed and many RSCJ present said that one of the reasons they entered the Society was that they had been welcomed into our life and into our communities and felt “at home.” We had provided a space where they could become their best selves and grow in their life with God and in mission with the Society. After hearing these reflections, I wanted to think more about hospitality in this day and age when “fear of the stranger” and “closing of borders” have become more the norm than opening doors to welcome those we do not yet know into our homes and around our tables.

Icon of the Trinity, by Andrei Rublev (see below)

One image of hospitality I like is Andrei Rublev’s icon of the Trinity*. The icon is based on the story in Genesis 18 where Abraham and Sarah welcome three visitors to sit by their fire and eat with them. As the story evolves, the visitors are seen to be angels and they come with a message of new life for Sarah…she will be with child. The icon is intended to represent the Trinity and each angel’s garments and position refers to the person of the trinity s/he represents. But as one gazes into the icon it is clear that the observer is also invited to the table. There is a space for “the other” at the table holding the cup of sacrifice to which the angels point. Another image of welcome in the icon is the house in the background. The house is the house of God and the door is open. All are invited in, all are welcomed.

Pursuing this topic even more, I began reading the book Radical Hospitality*. While it speaks of the Benedictine tradition of welcoming, it has much to say to all of us who are living lives based on the Gospel and on the charism of the Society of the Sacred Heart. From the beginning, one of our primary works has been the welcoming of others into our parlors and our homes where conversation and relationship are the norm.

…You and I will encounter Jesus. You will stroll right past him if you aren’t careful. Instead, look closer, look in the person’s eyes, search for that spark of light and let yourself be open to the possibility of God coming to you in the stranger. (Radical Hospitality, p. 40-41)

Three other experiences also have given me insight into hospitality. The first is the Dialogue and Diversity workshop recently held in St. Louis. There, the participants experienced what true hospitality is: we learned to welcome the other, to listen to the other, to share our own story, and to respect differences as they arose. Secondly, I accompanied a friend to an AA meeting. At the meeting, I experienced hospitality of a different sort. The doors are always open and, without hesitation, the group greets the newcomer with the phrase “Welcome, Ellen, keep coming back.” The group knows that it plays a part in the life of the new member and works very hard to live out the unconditional acceptance of the other providing space and welcome so that each one can grow and heal. A third experience of hospitality occurred when I went to the Catholic Worker in St. Louis. The topic of their “round table” conversation that night was the war in Iraq. However, what captured my attention was that out of the 30 people present, half were Catholic Worker and peace activists. The rest were young, enthusiastic college students. What had led them to the Catholic Worker? I believe it was the open door. I believe it was the welcome to come as they were, to join others around the table, and to converse together about the weighty matters of the world and of the spirit.

What are the connections between these images and insights? For me, they are a strong call to reflect on the spirit of hospitality that I live? How can I be more welcoming? Wherever I am, how can I broaden the circle of those invited? What makes me feel included? When are those times when I have felt excluded? What makes me feel this way? What does the image of the “open door” have to say in this time of war? How can I live more fully the realization that “God is the host, but God also becomes the guest we receive in others.” (Radical Hospitality, p. xxxvi)

1). Rublev, the monk, was commissioned by the abbot of Trinity Monastery in Zagorsk to do this work in order that the monks might overcome their fear of a world torn apart by hate and that they might find in the contemplation of the mystery portrayed a divine source for their longing for amity and concord. (Taken from Festal Icons of the Lord, by M. Helen Weier, OSC, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, 1977)

2). Radical Hospitality: Benedict’s Way of Love by Daniel Homan, O.S.B. and Lonni Pratt Collins, Paraclete Press, Brewster, Massachusetts, 2002.