In an age when people are growing further apart, there is a greater need for friendliness than ever before, and the traditional value of hospitality is once more being rediscovered. Hospitality is regarded as a sacred duty and the equivalent of welcoming the Lord himself. The gospel reminds us that all small ways of giving and caring, even act of kindness, like the giving of a cup of water to a stranger in our doorstep, will win God's favour and result in a great blessing. The world we live in is crying out for small acts of kindness which cost little but are sadly missing, like a smile, a word of appreciation or a phone call.
Following Christ involves putting his way of life into practice and in a Christian community this means everyone should feel welcome and there should be no strangers or outcasts. Hospitality then means showing a generosity of disposition and willingness to interrupt our personal lives in order to do some unrecorded acts of kindness because it is not what is given that counts but the heart with which it is given.
Fr. Arsenio