I was delighted when I was invited to preach the St. Anne Novena. First because it is always a joy to be at St. Dominic’s in San Francisco and second because I live in Tucson, AZ and will do almost anything to get out of there in July.
As I reflected on the relationship between St. Anne and Jesus (she is his grandmother) and the readings given by the Church for these 9 days, a theme began to emerge in my preparation: that of Family. And I have chosen “Becoming the family of Jesus” as the theme for these days. Over the course of the Novena I will be inviting us to reflect on some of the qualities and characteristics of Jesus’ family, and ways that we become more authentically and deeply part of that family. I was delighted that readings of the first day called us to a reflection on hospitality. I have grown to believe that hospitality is one of the primary virtues of the Christian life and one that we often neglect . So I’d like to invite us for a few minutes to reflect on hospitality as a virtue that we are called to live in imitation of Jesus and as members of his family.
We see in our fist reading today one of the origins of the Christian understanding of hospitality. Abraham sits outside his tent near the Terebinth of Mamre and offers hospitality to desert travelers. For the desert dwelling nomadic cultures of the ancient near east there is a remarkable custom of hospitality rooted in the precariousness of life in the desert. Every traveler in the desert lives balanced on the edge of danger and desert nomads help each other to survive in that dangerous setting.
I was blessed to experience the 20th Century version of this last summer traveling in Jordan. We had rented a car that gave us nothing but trouble from day one. After the first breakdown, I was looking for a tribe of Bedouins to trade the Toyota for a camel. Both times tha we broke down we were aided by Jordanians who could not do enough to help us. They saw us as their responsibility and our safety and care were their chief concern – putting their lives on hold to make sure that all of our needs were met.
Abraham offers hospitality to these travelers who turn our to be messengers of God in the midst of doing God’s work.
What was custom prior to Israel was codified as a principle of Justice in the Law of Moses – no longer rooted in the precariousness of life in the desert, but rather in the collective memory of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt. “Because you were shown hospitality in Egypt at a time of great need in your history,” God will say to Israel,” you too must show great care for the foreigner, the alien, the stranger in your land.” In fact, in Israel’s history, this will become one of the primary obligations of JUSTICE for God’s people and one of the measures of righteousness – how well do you care for widows, orphans, and strangers in the land.
What was custom in the Ancient Near East and law in Israel, makes its way into Christianity as a religious obligation as well. But for Christians, it is no longer simply custom or law, but it is part of the most basic obligation of the Christian life; to love as Jesus loves. In a list of the basic virtues of Christianity, Hebrews 13 begins “Let mutual love continue, do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.” (a direct reference to today’s first reading)
In the ancient world, the demand of hospitality highlighted and perpetuated the differences in peoples – I treat you well precisely BECAUSE you are other. Christians believe that the work of Jesus obliterates all those differences which keep us separated and divided from one another.
St. Paul says to the Ephesians:
“remember that at one time you, Gentiles in the flesh, were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 18 for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone"
So the obligation of hospitality becomes no longer about difference, it becomes a matter of loving one’s neighbor.
Every Christian is obliged to the virtue of hospitality because we await the return of the Lord. We know that every encounter is pregnant with the possibility of encountering the returning Lord. Abraham had so often encountered the Lord in his life and travels that he had no chosen but to expect to see the Lord again. The rule of St. Benedict says that every guest at the monastery is to be treated as though they are Christ himself…” That is not just true for Benedictines. It is true for all of us who wait expectantly for the Lord’s return.
We offer hospitality knowing that we will receive a blessing in return. Just as Abraham and Sarah were blessed for their hospitality with the fulfillment of God’s promise of a son.
Martha and Mary are blessed by their hospitality to Jesus. Both are lead to a deeper understanding of who they are and how they can best serve. Martha – busy about the details of hospitality – we all know Martha’s – you know, St. Martha Stewart, busy with all the details. Thank God for them. As a pastor, I certainly thank God for all the Marthas in my life – can you imagine a Church full of Marys – God would be loved and praised, but nothing would get done!
The next time we encounter Martha – at the end of John’s Gospel and the raising of lazarus, Martha has not changed at all – she is still the one taking care of the household. Her encounter with Jesus has lead her to a deeper commitment to who she is and how she can serve.
Mary, too, is lead to a deeper place. She, contrary to what might be expected of a womsn in her time, she has chosen the palce of a disciple – sitting at the feet of the master learning from him. Jesus affirms her in this. And the next time we encounter Mary, she is the disciple who anoints the feet of Jesus in preparation for his burial.
Like Martha and mary, the experience of hospitality is to lead us to deep er understanding of ourselves. As members of the Lord’s family, our hospitality has pe3rsonal implications – how we welcome and treat each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. It has communal implications – how we welcome newcomers and treat each other in the context of our parishes and other Christian association. It has civic and national implications – how we treat the stranger the alien who crosses our borders (I live in Arizona whre we have a great reputation in this regard – maybe not).
Hospitality is an obligation of our faith and a defining characteristic of members of the family of the Lord
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