In a homily during the July 20 Mass of the 16th Sunday, Year C, at the Cathedral, the Priest highlighted that the hospitality of Abraham and Sarah was met by the generosity of God, through the promise of a son to Sarah who has been barren for years.
“Hospitality brings forth new life. New possibilities open up to us. New parts of our personality begin to develop; we begin to live in a new way,” he maintained.
He added that through the show of hospitality, “God gives new birth within us and stretches our hearts to new levels of loving care for others”.
According to Fr. Endoma, hospitality is an essential aspect of the Christian story. The call to be hospitable is part of the call to discipleship in following Christ, just as Abraham and Sarah extended hospitality to three men, who were in reality, God and two Angels in the heat of the sun.
He further upheld that the hospitality of Abraham and Sarah was precipitated by their closeness to the Lord. For the same reason of being in communion with God, they didn’t overlook their guests and allow themselves to be self-absorbed and wallow in self-pity because of their childlessness. Rather, Abraham was quick to provide water for the customary foot-washing, shade and rest from the heat, while Sarah fixed them something to eat and made them feel at home.
“The special relationship of Abraham and Sarah with the Lord frees them to be more sensitive to the needs of others,” he underscored.
The SVD Priest added that faith draws us out of ourselves and allows us to meet the needs of others. It breaks the chains of self-absorption and self-pity.
He cautioned the Christians to guard against the temptation of reducing hospitality to mere sentimentality or triviality. To him, true hospitality is quite demanding and challenging.
“Hospitality is not hospitality when done only when we feel ‘in the mood’. Hospitality is the spirit of the heart which is ever ready to respond to the needs of others. It is not turned ON and OFF with a switch,” he buttressed.
“Hospitality is extended to the unexpected guest brought home for dinner, to the person who shows up on our doorstep, to the long-ago friend who is passing through and calls just to say hello, he articulated”.
He reiterated that hospitality is hospitality when our schedules are disrupted, our planned lives become unplanned, and when others intrude into our hearts with their needs.
He urged the faithful to learn to take the risk of showing hospitality because God will not forget them in their peculiar situations. They must be willing to “shift gears and rearrange their priorities, because others have needs and must be welcomed”.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR
