The Greek
word translated “hospitality” means “love of strangers.” When Paul speaks of
being “given to hospitality” (Rom. 12:13),
he is calling us to pursue relationships with people who are in need. It is not
an easy task.
Writer
Henri Nouwen likens it to reaching out to those we meet on our way through
life—people who may be estranged from their culture, country, friends, family,
or even from God.
Nouwen writes: “Hospitality, therefore, means
primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become
a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer
them space where change can take place.”
Whether we inhabit a home, a college dorm, a prison cell, or a military barracks, we can welcome others as a way of showing our love for them and for Christ. Hospitality is making room for people in need.
Hospitality can fill the emptiness of a lonely heart. (RBC)
