On the road to Emmaus, two disciples welcomed a stranger in conversation and invited him to stay with them. That stranger was Jesus.
In Hebrews 13:2, St. Paul reminds us to “show hospitality to strangers, for…some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
What if those disciples had not wellcomed the stranger? What if we are ignoring the angels in our midst? To love as Jesus calls us to love is to put others first and that requires hospitality. In this discipleship series, we look at the virtue of hospitality through the lens of our parish mission, CHRIST (community, holiness, retreat, invest, share, and tithe). We begin with “Welcoming” and learn how to build community by removing the judgements that prevent us from seeing others through Jesus’ eyes. Next, we “Bring others to Jesus” by interceding for those in need. On “Welcome Weekend”, we discuss the power of retreats to help us step away from ourselves to better see and serve others. “Servant”, our fourth topic, reminds us that we were built to serve others and that by investing ourselves in service we become more our true self. Essential to hospitality is “Invitation”, our fifth topic, reminding us that just as Jesus invites us to share new life with Him, we are empowered to invite others. Finally, we discuss how to “Trust” in the Lord that our hearts may be truly open to receiving and giving to others.