Father Koch: Angels are often among seeking our hospitality
July 14, 2022 at 1:32 p.m.
While the rules were unwritten, a deep sense of shared heritage and the realization of the importance of reciprocity in such exchanges formed a virtual law code long before the formalization of laws in the nineteenth century before Christ.
Abraham and Sarah lived as nomads in a foreign land and were very conscious of their needs to be both hospitable and to accept the hospitality of others.
It was not at all unsettling, then, when strangers arrived at their campsite. Abraham entertained the three men and they exchanged conversation as usual. Sarah preps a meal for all of them, while overhearing the conversation so that she, too, might be informed about what the travelers learned along the way.
Little did they expect that these strangers were not just ordinary men, but that they were in fact entertaining God. This account in Genesis has given way to various adages about hospitality in various cultures. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds his audience of the need to exercise hospitality for “some have entertained angels unawares.”
Abraham and Sarah entertained God.
The sisters Martha and Mary have an invited house guest in their home in Bethany. The itinerant Rabbi Jesus, who has become a friend to them, has come to their home and it is unclear if he is unaccompanied by the other disciples.
Martha has assumed the role of the hostess and she is busy preparing the feast that she has planned for the day. One must expect that she carefully went through the marketplace earlier in the day to select the freshest produce and food for the meal. She selected a fine cask of wine, perhaps baked some bread and carefully set the table. Martha had to build the fire and is busy making sure that the evening flows perfectly.
Mary, on the other hand, knows the importance of entertaining, of valuing the guest, and in sharing in the conversation that hosting someone entails.
They, too, were entertaining God, without their realizing it.
This is a reminder to us of the importance of hospitality in our own lives. We are all so busy on our cell phones and other forms of distraction, that it is much more difficult to be truly present to the people in our lives. Even today, we entertain angels unawares.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.
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While the rules were unwritten, a deep sense of shared heritage and the realization of the importance of reciprocity in such exchanges formed a virtual law code long before the formalization of laws in the nineteenth century before Christ.
Abraham and Sarah lived as nomads in a foreign land and were very conscious of their needs to be both hospitable and to accept the hospitality of others.
It was not at all unsettling, then, when strangers arrived at their campsite. Abraham entertained the three men and they exchanged conversation as usual. Sarah preps a meal for all of them, while overhearing the conversation so that she, too, might be informed about what the travelers learned along the way.
Little did they expect that these strangers were not just ordinary men, but that they were in fact entertaining God. This account in Genesis has given way to various adages about hospitality in various cultures. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds his audience of the need to exercise hospitality for “some have entertained angels unawares.”
Abraham and Sarah entertained God.
The sisters Martha and Mary have an invited house guest in their home in Bethany. The itinerant Rabbi Jesus, who has become a friend to them, has come to their home and it is unclear if he is unaccompanied by the other disciples.
Martha has assumed the role of the hostess and she is busy preparing the feast that she has planned for the day. One must expect that she carefully went through the marketplace earlier in the day to select the freshest produce and food for the meal. She selected a fine cask of wine, perhaps baked some bread and carefully set the table. Martha had to build the fire and is busy making sure that the evening flows perfectly.
Mary, on the other hand, knows the importance of entertaining, of valuing the guest, and in sharing in the conversation that hosting someone entails.
They, too, were entertaining God, without their realizing it.
This is a reminder to us of the importance of hospitality in our own lives. We are all so busy on our cell phones and other forms of distraction, that it is much more difficult to be truly present to the people in our lives. Even today, we entertain angels unawares.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.