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Holy Week resources and reflections

God’s hospitality

READING THE STORY OF THE DISCIPLES on their way to Emmaus reminds me of home. Hospitality is at the center of Mexican culture. From birth, we are taught to share our sandwich when someone forgets his or hers, we are asked to sleep on the floor when guests stay over and we are taught that we always should make more food than you need just in case unexpected guests show up. And if you don’t have enough food, we know that we always can “add more water to the beans” to make sure there is enough food for everyone. In a similar way, Middle Eastern culture holds hospitality as one of its central values.

And I think this way of being, ingrained in them since they were children, is what made these two followers of Jesus talk to the stranger they meet on the road on a day with such mixed emotions. These men had lost the one they hoped would redeem Israel; and just when they were starting to process this, some women tell them that their leader’s body was missing and that angels told them he was alive. They had been traveling to another town, which means that they had been walking for a while and probably were tired. I can only imagine the wide range of emotions they experienced when a stranger approaches them and opens the wound by asking, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” That was probably the last thing they needed, a nosy stranger. Furthermore, this stranger insulted them and called them foolish and slow of heart!

But their culture was remembered, almost by instinct, and it whispered to them: Hospitality is to be offered. And then, they remembered the new hospitality that Jesus had taught them, the one that welcomed sinners, unclean people, bleeding women and outcasts. So they invited this man to spend the night with them. By serving a stranger, by inviting him into their home, by running the risk of being assaulted by the traveler, by running the risk of being caught being followers of the man who was causing turbulence in imperial territory, by sharing a meal with a hungry and tired homeless man, by giving the alien residing among them access to leadership, and without knowing it, they were serving Christ. As they remembered him, they lived out the teachings of their crucified leader.

I cannot help but think of our church culture regarding hospitality. I often see churches saying “we welcome all,” but the fine print says “unless you want to change the way we do things or dare to move us out of our comfort zone. Also, you can forget about becoming a leader or have anything to do with our decision-making process.” These disciples did not have any fine print when they decided to fully welcome the unknown Jesus. They understood that authentic hospitality goes beyond the words “welcome to our community” that implies sharing resources with those who have little, sharing leadership and sharing power, that it is not only about doing and talking and opening our arms and houses to strangers. It is about remembering who the true host is.

When we look at the text, we see that Jesus was with them all along the way, that Jesus has been and still is the true host. Even before they knew his identity, Jesus was there comforting them in their mourning, keeping them company on the journey and, finally, blessing and breaking bread with them. And it is only when we remember that Christ has been the host from the beginning of our journeys that our eyes can be opened and we know that when we offer hospitality to strangers it is not our hospitality, but God’s hospitality that we are offering.

ClaudiaAguilarRubalcavaCLAUDIA AGUILAR RUBALCAVA is associate dean of student services at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.

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