“And they ate and were well filled.” Ps 78:29.
“Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Ps 100:2.
“If they hearken and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness,” Job 36:11.
“He shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord God.” Micah 5:4.
“Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body.
Is not life more that food?” Matt 6:25.
“Jesus told them to give her something to eat.” Mk 5:43.
“Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him, but if not, it shall return to you.” Lk 10:5-6.
“In the course of their journey he came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.” Lk 10:38.
“Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them,” Lk 12:37.
“Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.” John 21:15-16.
“Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the holy Spirit has made you guardians, to feed the church of the Lord which he obtained with his own blood.” Acts 20:28.
“He who eats, eats in honor of the Lord since he gives thanks to the Lord.” Rom 14:6.
“Be servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord.” Eph 6:6.
“Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.” Rom 12:13.
“Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Heb 13:3.
“Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another. As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Pt 4:9-10.
“Through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Gal 5:13- 14.
“Continue to love each other like brothers, and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Heb. 13: 1-2.
“The time has come for me to bid farewell to your country. These days that I have spent in the United States have been blessed with many memorable experiences of American hospitality, and I wish to express my deep appreciation to all of you for your kind welcome. It has been a joy for me to witness the faith and devotion of the Catholic community here. It was heart-warming to spend time with leaders and representatives of other Christian communities and other religions, and I renew my assurances of respect and esteem to all of you.” Pope Benedict XVI on leaving the United States, 2008.
Hospitality
Hospitality as a spiritual gift exudes graciousness and service. There are a multitude of ways to share hospitality and many ministries that foster this wonderful spiritual gift. People with this gift welcome others as they would welcome Jesus. They serve with food, a kind word and a welcoming spirit.
They find it easy to meet new people and to find common areas of interest with those they have known for a while. Their ready smiles are matched by their open arms and kind words.
Questions to share
- Which passage touches you or burns in your heart the most? Why?
- How have you exercised this gift in the past?
- How are you now exercising this gift in ministry?
- Do you see new ways you can exercise this ministry in the future?