Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward.” (Mt 10:34-11:1)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071122.cfm
In our home, hospitality was not optional. My grandmother thought that hospitality was next to godliness. In his Rule for Monasteries, Saint Benedict devotes a whole chapter to the reception of guests: “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt 25:35),” Chapter 53.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saint Benedict, Abbot, July 11
