My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:

With the arrival of June, for many of us, the normal work schedule begins to lighten up a bit, making room for the celebrations of summertime — graduations and anniversaries, picnics and barbecues, sports events, and in general, time to enjoy each other.

Liturgically, during June this year we will celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of the Lord, renewing our faith and deepening our gratitude for this great gift of the Lord's presence in the Holy Eucharist as sacrifice, sacrament and meal. June is also the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, wounded, that we might be healed of sin and live at peace with all people, resting in the embrace of His unconditional love.

With such thoughts in mind, my June column on evangelization will focus on the theme of hospitality. We proclaim the Good News as we imitate and meditate on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who dwelt among us and depended on human hospitality. Even now, as we worship His Sacred Heart, we also contemplate His openness to receive and welcome all people, especially sinners and those weighed down with life's burdens: "Come to me all you who labor and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart."

The Eucharist as meal of hospitality

In His earthly life, Jesus was both guest and host; He knew how to receive as well as how to give. While He let His feet be washed and anointed by Mary Magdalene, He also took the initiative to wash the feet of His disciples. At the Last Supper, He was the host presiding at the meal. Yet, in another way, He was a guest at the meal since He was using the Upper Room, a space provided for Him and arranged by His disciples. Jesus often taught at table and used the setting of the multiplication of loaves and fishes for His teaching about the gift of the Eucharist, the sacrificial meal of the New Covenant, the fulfillment of the promises of the Hebrew Scriptures that God would dwell with His people and they would enjoy His abiding and nourishing presence. Clearly, the Holy Eucharist expresses profound and extraordinary hospitality — our ability to receive the Lord as guest of our souls and the foreshadowing of the way we will be His guests forever in the banquet of eternal life.

Hospitality in the Hebrew Scriptures

From the earliest chapters of the Hebrew Scriptures, hospitality and table fellowship were always a revered — even expected — practice for people of faith. Consider the much-celebrated scene of Abraham and Sarah entertaining the three mysterious visitors; as their "reward" for hospitality to these heavenly guests, they received the amazing good news of the birth of a son, Isaac.

Thanks to the deeply-engrained remembrance of their 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the Jews had a strong sense of their duty to respect and welcome strangers and aliens among them; their covenant with God at Sinai included a commitment to be hospitable to all in need. Often through such hospitality, great things happened such as the decision of Ruth the Moabite woman to become part of the Jewish family. The hospitality of the foreign woman Rahab to Jews at Jericho secured her salvation while most of her compatriots died.

Hospitality was always to be given the prophets of God; in welcoming them, the people were giving reverence to God Himself. Recall, for example, the way the widow at Zarephath provided for Elijah even when it meant giving him her last bit of food. Also in II Kings, Elisha received hospitality from a wealthy woman and her husband; as a sign of gratitude for her goodness, Elisha prophesized she would soon give birth to a son.

While acts and gestures of hospitality were praised and extolled in the Hebrew Scriptures, at the same time, the prophets also strongly denounced as immoral those who were selfish and refused to open their hearts and homes to others, especially strangers in need. In the Jewish understanding of faith, hospitality was not optional; it was a required way of putting their faith into action, hospitality also served as a means of strengthening the unity of the people and became a quiet, but effective, means of helping others to know and love their covenant God.

Luke's Gospel: A study in hospitality

In all four Gospels, Christ is depicted as the "divine guest" who has come to His people. This theme is especially true of St. Luke's Gospel which we hear throughout this liturgical year. Consider for example, one of the opening scenes of the infancy account of St. Luke — Mary's 90-mile journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth, offering her consolation and encouragement during the final months of her pregnancy. In chapter two, Christ's parents could find no hospitality in the normal places where travelers lodged; and so He was born in a humble stable and laid in a manger, a feeding trough for animals.

In St. Luke's Gospel, Jesus taught His disciples that "the Son of Man has no where to rest His head." He was totally dependent on the generous acceptance of the people who heard Him preach. As He formed His disciples, He encouraged them to accept whatever generosity people offered them as they journeyed from town to town, preaching and healing in His name.

Many of the parables in St. Luke's Gospel focus on table fellowship, especially toward sinners and strangers. Consider these many passages of St. Luke: The penitent woman in Luke 7 washed the feet of Jesus with her tears while He was at table in the house of the Pharisee; the Prodigal Son was given a great banquet when he returned home; the Good Samaritan provided for the victim along the road to Jericho; Martha and Mary offered hospitality by providing food and a listening ear at Bethany; and Zaccheus, the wealthy tax collector, welcomed Jesus into his home. As he presents the Lord's Passion, St. Luke gives special emphasis to the Last Supper and Jesus' message of service. After His Resurrection, Jesus revealed Himself to the two disciples who offered Him hospitality on the road to Emmaus.

Again and again, the preaching of the Good News and offering of hospitality go hand-in-hand in the spirituality of St. Luke. Jesus was the hidden God looking for a home; any and all who welcomed Him heard the Good News and allowed their lives to be changed by it. They, in turn, were able to share the Good News through Eucharistic fellowship and normal human kindness toward the stranger — things we also read about in the journeys of St. Paul, as recorded by St. Luke in his other great writing, the Acts of the Apostles.

Hospitality in Christian spirituality

Throughout the centuries, most of the great saints had a reputation for attentiveness to the needs of strangers, the homeless, the poor, and all who might otherwise had been forgotten. St. Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism and one of the great Patrons of Europe in the late 400s and early 500s, used to tell his monks "when a guest comes, it is Christ Himself."

In our own lifetime, we have seen this witness of Christian hospitality as a means of preaching the Gospel in the person of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and the service of the Missionaries of Charity, some of whom work right in our own metro area. Locally, we are also blessed by the presence and ministry of the Home Visitors of Mary, a religious community of diocesan right, whose mission involves evangelization by following the example of the Blessed Virgin at the Visitation.

Welcoming the stranger and the immigrant

In our world today, millions upon millions of people have been forced to move from their native land, many of them displaced because of war or economic crisis. Countless refugees struggle for basic human necessities. Here in the archdiocese, we recently affirmed the needs and rights of Hispanic immigrants and workers on May 1. We have also been giving special attention to the needs of all migrants, affirming their basic human rights, looking for ways to help them maintain their family unity in harmony and peace.

From violence to hospitality

Daily, we hear tragic stories of violence — often by family members toward each other, and sometimes between people of different races and ethnic backgrounds. Whatever the circumstances, any act of violence is an abuse of the dignity of the human person, a failure to respect the image of God, a lack of openness to the gift and mystery of God's presence and love. One of the best ways to overcome violence is by learning to be more hospitable, open and gracious toward people who are different than ourselves. And by that kindness, people will be touched and changed; they will experience the reality of the Gospel and, therefore, be eager to hear it.

We all need to take the time to learn about people who are different from ourselves through study and through personal encounters, as well as through prayer to the Holy Spirit that we might be more open to all people.

First, deeds, then words

Our attitude of hospitality creates an ambiance in which we learn and change, and allow the other person or group to get in touch with their spiritual hunger for the Gospel. In the case of people who have been disenfranchised or disillusioned with the Church, our gestures of hospitality — whether individually or as a parish — can often rekindle the flame of faith that has all but died out.

As Pope Paul VI pointed out in his 1975 Encyclical on evangelization, "The world today needs witnesses more than teachers." We witness to the Gospel not necessarily by explicit preaching or teaching but by the consistency of our example of loving concern for the other, particularly when the other person is in genuine need.

How might this play out concretely in our lives? Deeds of Christian service are a powerful means of evangelizing — for example, soup kitchens or homeless shelters at many of our parishes, or the many varieties of works provided by Catholic Social Services agencies. In our own families, we can often preach the Good News by patient attentiveness to relatives or neighbors living through uncertainty, health issues, or loss. Since the Holy Eucharist is a principal means of evangelization, as our parish Worship Commissions meet, we should consider how hospitable we are as people of faith toward strangers and visitors.

The Gospel message and example of Jesus Christ proclaims the power of love and mercy; it challenges us to open our minds and hearts with reverence and joy toward every stranger. We are also reminded not to overlook the presence of the Lord in the people we most easily take for granted — those with whom we live and work, and our own family members. The power of the Gospel can be unleashed anywhere and everywhere as long as hearts are open to give and receive.

Christian hospitality is one of the most powerful ways to help people come in touch with the Lord Jesus, who Himself, was both guest and host during His days on Earth. During these wonderful days of summer, as we offer hospitality to one another, may we see the full potential and meaning of what we do and according to the providence of God, take advantage of the situation to speak with deep things of the spirit.

May we find our own place in the Sacred Heart of Christ our Lord and come to a deeper appreciation of the Lord's desire for all people to rest in Him. As we worship and receive His presence and life in the Holy Eucharist, let us strive to put into practice the hospitality we celebrate at the Lord's altar.

With all best wishes, I am

Sincerely yours in the Lord,

†Adam Cardinal Maida
Archbishop of Detroit

June Prayer Theme
"Evangelization Through Hospitality"

During this month of June, as we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi and remember the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we rejoice in the giving and receiving of Christian hospitality experienced and expressed in the Holy Eucharist.  May our hearts and homes be a powerful setting for the proclamation of the Gospel, welcoming with love our brothers and sisters who search for Jesus.  May we also prayerfully unite our minds and hearts with the needs of countless refugees and migrants around the world who search for a home.