MANIFEST THE LOVE OF GOD IN HOSPITALITY

First Reading: 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a
Second Reading: Rom 6:3-4, 8-11
Gospel: Mt 10:37-42

We are in the thirteen Sunday in ordinary time. The theme of today’s readings are about hospitality towards people who belong to Christ. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about people who cannot be worthy of Him, in other words who cannot belong to Him or called as His disciples. The acts of mercy in Mt 25:31-46 are the basis for our salvation. Christian faith is realized in the individual when s/he practices that faith in action. Our faith is useless without deeds (Jas 2:26). If today’s world have progressed more economically, thanks to Christian charity. The sharing of goods reduced the poverty and uplifted many countries. In the developing countries Christians are recognized first for their acts of mercy. The lived gospel is the first proclamation.

In the first reading, we see about Shunammite woman who regularly gives hospitality to prophet Elisha. As the years go, she also increased the standard of her hospitality towards the prophet by making rooms and furnishing it with necessary things. At the end, she receives the reward of the prophet; she gets prophecy from Elisha. She hesitates to believe the prophecy of begetting a child as her husband is old. Yet, Elisha’s prophecy is realized in her life. She gets this reward because, she has served the prophet. She has not made any complaint to the prophet about her misfortune of being a barren woman. Her misfortune has never been a block for her to care for the others. This shows that she is not discouraged by misfortunes. In today’s world we easily get discouraged. We stop our good deeds especially charities if we don’t realize any blessings. In this context, the Shunammite woman’s faith is a great example. We could also note the improvement she has made in offering hospitality. As years go by we progress economically – only few times in life we suffer economic losses. But do we improve our charities as our economic standard goes up. If we have earned a lot in 20 years, the charities that we do now should be better than once we did in 20 years ago. As Christians, our charity should be in proportionate with our income and the cost of living. Economic losses at different intervals cannot be an excuse for our negligence towards hospitality. The woman had no child. In her deepest sorrowfulness, she offered hospitality to Elisha. She also did not expect any reward for her hospitality – can a woman expect to get a child at her old age? She performed this deed as a virtue. Yet, this deed gained an unexpected grace from the Lord. She was blessed with a child.

In the gospel, Jesus speaks about giving hospitality towards people who work for the Gospel. As Christians we have duty to care for the ministers of the Word – the clergy. As we do lots of charity, sometimes we may failed to care for our own pastors and religious who serve us. Jesus says that we need to love Him more than one’s father, mother, son and daughter (Mt 10:37). Why Jesus demand this much of love? Can we really love Jesus more than one’s father, mother, son and daughter with whom we live physically? Is it possible and why it is needed to love invisible God above the visible human relations?

Our fathers, mothers, sons and daughters are important people in our lives in so far as we are related them as humans. Their role in our life is limited to this short earthly life. We have no such relations in heaven. Jesus said that no one marries in heaven (Mt 22:30). If so who can be father, mother, son and daughter in heaven. Also prior to this human life we never related to our fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. Before this human life, during this human life and in the life to come, the only being who is with us and with whom we can boast our relationship is the divine being who became human in Jesus Christ. And so, God should be our first priority in loving.

Our love for God is realized in our hospitality towards His people. We offer hospitality and care for the people to show our love towards them. Similarly, we need to show our love of God through our care and concern for people who belong to Christ. This can be shown in two ways; towards the poor and towards the ministers. In today’s Gospel Jesus speaks about second way as He is addressing His disciples. The priests and religious are at the service of the Lord. They bring the faithful more and more closer to God. Their lives are sustained through the generosity of the faithful. If only we know the worth of gift that we receive through their service, we would never fail in caring for them. In today’s world the hospitality and charity towards priests and religious are seen as unnecessary. Some even give exceptions to do this deed by quoting some evils that are done by few clerics and religious. Our Lord said, “Do not Judg” (Mt 7:1-2). If they do some evil they are answerable to God, who are we to judge and punish them? Their misdeeds cannot be an excuse for our negligence towards caring for the ministers of the Word. The more we serve the unfaithful ministers, the greater they become accountable to God. A person who receives more blessings in sin is more answerable than one who receives little in his/her goodness. Therefore, let us do our mission of loving God above all else through our hospitality toward God’s servant. May our love of God be made manifest in our hospitality towards His ministers. May we realize the worth of gift that we receive through the ministers of the Lord.            

 

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