Readings:
2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a
Psalm 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19
Romans 6:3-4, 8-11
Matthew 10:37-42
Open-hearted hospitality
In the ancient world, hospitality was not merely a point of etiquette; it was a requirement for survival in a perilous world. There were no General Stores or Trading Posts and so travelers depended upon the good will of others for food, shelter, and necessary supplies while they were on a journey. The custom assured strangers that they would not be exploited as long as they themselves posed no threat. Some people even believed that divine beings roamed the earth in search of examples of human graciousness: “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some unknowingly entertained angels” (Heb 13:2).
Today’s readings include examples of ancient hospitality. They also mention the rewards that accrue from the practice of it. The reading from 2 Kings describes the openness of a Shunemmite woman. She is a woman of influence, a very unusual characteristic for a woman in an ancient patriarchal society. However, since her husband was “getting on in years,” she may have been experienced in caring for needy men. She is the one who urged Elisha to dine with her and who arranged a little room on the roof where he would always be welcome. In gratitude for this hospitality Elisha promised that she would have a son. This promise was not merely a gesture of gratitude. A son would eventually inherit family property and would care for the woman as she herself aged. She provided for the prophet; he in turn, provided for her.
We find this same theme in the gospel. There we see Jesus instructing his followers on the need for hospitality, but it is hospitality from a particular point of view. The woman in the first reading is the one who opens her home. Jesus is talking about openhearted hospitality extended to apostles as ministers of the gospel. As representatives of Jesus, they are told: “Who receives you receives me.” The hospitality spoken of here is more than the ancient custom that was so necessary for survival in a perilous world. The ancient traveler was certainly exposed to danger, but the ministers of the gospel were doubly defenseless. They deliberately made themselves vulnerable by dissociating themselves from family support and by accepting hardship for the sake of the gospel. Jesus declares that whoever does the slightest favor for them, even giving them a cup of cold water, will be rewarded.
We must be careful that we not take this teaching too literally, lest we perform acts of kindness simply for the compensation we think should be our due. We are called to be openhearted in our service out of a sense of hospitality, not for the sake of reward. It should be noted that Jesus does not really describe this reward. It may, in fact, come as a surprise. Jesus merely says that acts of kindness or hospitality will not go unrequited.
The “little ones” of whom Jesus spoke were probably disciples, not children. Jesus lived in a world in which one’s worth was determined by one’s social status. This social class could be either inherited or earned. However, it could also be lost through behavior that might disgrace the head of the family. Such behavior included loss of money, serious hardship, or dishonorable family members. These were all situations indicating that the head of the family, the patriarch, was unable to exercise control over his own world. In a society governed by principles of honor and shame, as were most societies in the ancient world, men were always vying for more honor, and the rest of the household was held in check lest they bring shame to the householder. Jesus did not want his disciples caught up in such competitive concerns. His followers were to be unassuming, like unimportant children. It is of them that Jesus says: “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
This practice of ministerial hospitality in no way suggests that the life of the disciples was easy. They may have been assured of the generosity of others (“The laborer deserves to be paid” (Luke 10:7; 1 Tim 5:18), but they were required to make great sacrifices. They had to be willing even to sever intimate family ties, if called upon to do so. And as if this were not sacrifice enough, they were promised the cross.
Today’s followers of Jesus are certainly promised a reward. Paul tells us that we are called to “live in newness of life.” However, this privilege is extended to us because “we were baptized into his death.” Baptism has made us new people. We are now people whose value is not determined by social status. We are people who extend openhearted Christian hospitality to others, knowing that it is not merely angels whom we might be entertaining. Rather, it is Jesus himself, along with the one who sent him.
Dianne Bergant, CSA