One of the things I enjoy whenever I go on vacation is the opportunity to pray at other parishes as a parishioner. I put on a pair of slacks, a button down shirt, and I walk in as a stranger. Nobody knows that I am a priest, and so I have the privilege to see a parish firsthand – like an ordinary visitor.
I find many insights when I walk in. I try to keep my ears and eyes open, observing how people react to one another. Do they smile? Do they go out of their way to welcome? Do they take the time to greet and help one another in their need?
As a stranger in these parishes I am an outsider, unknown without history or recognition. I have no connections to families, businesses, or authority. In other words, hospitality is often the only reason why anyone would speak to me; they have no other practical reason to do so. Sure, they might want a new parishioner, but you can usually distinguish between sincerity and a sales pitch: one comes from the heart, the other goes for the wallet.
When I encounter a welcoming parish, I always take mental notes. What can I bring back to the Cathedral? What actions already affirm what we do? I usually scribble my notes on a piece of paper, saving them for a special opportunity to put them into practice.
Hospitality is a central part of the Christian life. We reach out to strangers, visitors, and guests, because throughout time people of faith have discovered God’s presence whenever they have reached out to others.
The readings today have a common theme. While God has spoken through a particular people (namely Israel), God calls all people – even strangers and foreigners – through faith to prayer and worship. The gift and call to the Jewish people is “irrevocable” as Paul writes today. Yet through this call people have seen the saving power of Christ and responded with life and joy as they welcome family, friends, and strangers to fellowship.
Practically, we live this theme whenever we reach out to one another. When we recognize that God calls all people, we discover that we are part of a vast and rich family – fellow inhabitants on this rock we call planet Earth.
This is why we go out of our way to welcome one another. This is why we take the time to introduce ourselves, greeting and meeting fellow members of a much larger family. Whenever we take the time to reach out to one another, we live out our most basic call – welcoming one another with the hospitality of a people of faith.
Note: This post was first published on August 11, 2014.
Here’s a quick overview of the readings this week:
1st Reading – Abraham recognizes the Lord in the three visitors
Psalm – “who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord”
2nd Reading – Through suffering we participate in the life of Christ
Gospel – Martha & Mary
One way to reflect on these verses is to see how the Lord meets us in the pattern of daily life. Consider:
Hospitality – serving others
Justice – standing up for what is right, true, and good
Suffering – caring for those in need, and bearing our own pain as well
Listening – pausing from our labors to hear the Lord in our lives
We understand that our relationship with God touches multiple aspects of our lives, such as prayer, sacraments, relationships, work, and recreation. The invitation today encourages us to see with our hearts how the Lord is present to us in the current moment.
Does it mean that we serve with a joyful heart? That we swiftly respond to injustice? That we compassionately care for others? That we stop and “smell the roses” in moments of rest & renewal, beauty & blessing? In all these ways we are led back to the Lord, recognizing the gifts God gives us with a grateful heart.
How is God present in your life right now? May our response bring us closer to Christ and one another.
Two big themes bubble up in the Scriptures this week:
Healing: Isaiah proclaims and Jesus performs
Hospitality: James urges that we show no partiality
Both of these themes are part of the fabric of human life. We all know firsthand experiences of illness, disease, and discomfort. We know the relief that comes from health, especially after a long period of suffering. Jesus spent a substantial portion of his ministry healing others; indeed, every encounter with the Lord brought about some type of transformative renewal.
Hospitality touches another part of our existence. It is so easy to prejudge one another! Looks, clothing, money, power, success….we can quickly get caught up in externals and fail to recognize the shining soul that dwells in the heart. James (as usual) minces no words here – he speaks bluntly, calling us to treat one another as sons & daughters of God.
Where do you see healing in your life? Where do you see hospitality? Perhaps today we can be agents of both, helping others in moments of weakness and need, and reaching out to all with the love of Christ.
One of the things I enjoy whenever I go on vacation is the opportunity to pray at other parishes as a parishioner. I put on a pair of slacks, a button down shirt, and I walk in as a stranger. Nobody knows that I am a priest, and so I have the privilege to see a parish firsthand – like an ordinary visitor.
I find many insights when I walk in. I try to keep my ears and eyes open, observing how people react to one another. Do they smile? Do they go out of their way to welcome? Do they take the time to greet and help one another in their need?
As a stranger in these parishes I am an outsider, unknown without history or recognition. I have no connections to families, businesses, or authority. In other words, hospitality is often the only reason why anyone would speak to me; they have no other practical reason to do so. Sure, they might want a new parishioner, but you can usually distinguish between sincerity and a sales pitch: one comes from the heart, the other goes for the wallet.
When I encounter a welcoming parish, I always take mental notes. What can I bring back to my parishes? What actions already affirm what we do? I usually scribble my notes on a piece of paper, saving them for a special opportunity to put them into practice.
Hospitality is a central part of the Christian life. We reach out to strangers, visitors, and guests, because throughout time people of faith have discovered God’s presence whenever they have reached out to others.
The readings today have a common theme. While God has spoken through a particular people (namely Israel), God calls all people – even strangers and foreigners – through faith to prayer and worship. The gift and call to the Jewish people is “irrevocable” as Paul writes today. Yet through this call people have seen the saving power of Christ and responded with life and joy as they welcome family, friends, and strangers to fellowship.
Practically, we live this theme whenever we reach out to one another. When we recognize that God calls all people, we discover that we are part of a vast and rich family – fellow inhabitants on this rock we call planet Earth.
This is why we go out of our way to welcome one another. This is why we take the time to introduce ourselves, greeting and meeting fellow members of a much larger family. Whenever we take the time to reach out to one another, we live out our most basic call – welcoming one another with the hospitality of a people of faith.
Here’s a quick overview of the readings this week:
1st Reading – Abraham recognizes the Lord in the three visitors
Psalm – “who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord”
2nd Reading – Through suffering we participate in the life of Christ
Gospel – Martha & Mary
One way to reflect on these verses is to see how the Lord meets us in the pattern of daily life. Consider:
Hospitality – serving others
Justice – standing up for what is right, true, and good
Suffering – caring for those in need, and bearing our own pain as well
Listening – pausing from our labors to hear the Lord in our lives
We understand that our relationship with God touches multiple aspects of our lives, such as prayer, sacraments, relationships, work, and recreation. The invitation today encourages us to see with our hearts how the Lord is present to us in the current moment.
Does it mean that we serve with a joyful heart? That we swiftly respond to injustice? That we compassionately care for others? That we stop and “smell the roses” in moments of rest & renewal, beauty & blessing? In all these ways we are led back to the Lord, recognizing the gifts God gives us with a grateful heart.
How is God present in your life right now? May our response bring us closer to Christ and one another.
Illness shows no partiality: young & old, rich & poor, male and female, regardless of race, creed or education. Yet in the midst of human illness we find Jesus meeting people in the diversity of their needs with an encounter that leads to healing and grace. The Letter of James reminds us that we, too, are called to show no partiality; rather, we reach out to those before us as fellow children of God. May the Lord strengthen us in Prayer, Word, and Sacrament to be renewed with the grace of Jesus Christ – empowering us to engage one another with healing and hospitality.
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Two big themes bubble up in the Scriptures this week:
Healing: Isaiah proclaims and Jesus performs
Hospitality: James urges that we show no partiality
Both of these themes are part of the fabric of human life. We all know firsthand experiences of illness, disease, and discomfort. We know the relief that comes from health, especially after a long period of suffering. Jesus spent a substantial portion of his ministry healing others; indeed, every encounter with the Lord brought about some type of transformative renewal.
Hospitality touches another part of our existence. It is so easy to prejudge one another! Looks, clothing, money, power, success….we can quickly get caught up in externals and fail to recognize the shining soul that dwells in the heart. James (as usual) minces no words here – he speaks bluntly, calling us to treat one another as sons & daughters of God.
Where do you see healing in your life? Where do you see hospitality? Perhaps today we can be agents of both, helping others in moments of weakness and need, and reaching out to all with the love of Christ.
One of the things I enjoy whenever I go on vacation is the opportunity to pray at other parishes as a parishioner. I put on a pair of slacks, a button down shirt, and I walk in as a stranger. Nobody knows that I am a priest, and so I have the privilege to see a parish firsthand – like an ordinary visitor.
I find many insights when I walk in. I try to keep my ears and eyes open, observing how people react to one another. Do they smile? Do they go out of their way to welcome? Do they take the time to greet and help one another in their need?
As a stranger in these parishes I am an outsider, unknown without history or recognition. I have no connections to families, businesses, or authority. In other words, hospitality is often the only reason why anyone would speak to me; they have no other practical reason to do so. Sure, they might want a new parishioner, but you can usually distinguish between sincerity and a sales pitch: one comes from the heart, the other goes for the wallet.
When I encounter a welcoming parish, I always take mental notes. What can I bring back to the Cathedral? What actions already affirm what we do? I usually scribble my notes on a piece of paper, saving them for a special opportunity to put them into practice.
Hospitality is a central part of the Christian life. We reach out to strangers, visitors, and guests, because throughout time people of faith have discovered God’s presence whenever they have reached out to others.
The readings today have a common theme. While God has spoken through a particular people (namely Israel), God calls all people – even strangers and foreigners – through faith to prayer and worship. The gift and call to the Jewish people is “irrevocable” as Paul writes today. Yet through this call people have seen the saving power of Christ and responded with life and joy as they welcome family, friends, and strangers to fellowship.
Practically, we live this theme whenever we reach out to one another. When we recognize that God calls all people, we discover that we are part of a vast and rich family – fellow inhabitants on this rock we call planet Earth.
This is why we go out of our way to welcome one another. This is why we take the time to introduce ourselves, greeting and meeting fellow members of a much larger family. Whenever we take the time to reach out to one another, we live out our most basic call – welcoming one another with the hospitality of a people of faith.
Three Great Things 