i'm reading tertullian, a dour 3rd century theologian who didn't make sainthood because of his attraction to a severe splinter group, the montanists, late in his life. but i am deeply and inexplictably drawn to his writing. so, each day when i pray the mid-day office, i'm reading a portion of his writing on prayer. today, i came upon an interesting section that connects to my commitment to explore the practice of hospitality in my personal and family life. before I leave today for vacation (in mn and wi), i wanted to post it for a response from blogworld.
"of course, you never bid farewell to a sister or brother who has entered your house without a prayer. for the scripture says, 'have you seen your brother? you have seen the lord.' this is especially true if the visitor is a stranger. for she might be an angel. furthermore, when you are a guest of one of the brothers or sisters, you will surely not partake of earthly refreshments prior to heavenly. otherwise, your faith will immediately be judged. how else will you obey the teaching to say, 'peace to this house' unless you exchange mutual peace with those who are in the house?"
this made me wonder how often we pray with and for those who visit our home. how do we offer the peace of the lord to them? how do we partake of heavenly refreshments with them? food for thought.
by the way, here is a wonderful site that does theology cards (like baseball cards). and here is the one for tertullian.
and wouldn't you know it, it is a parable about hospitality. thidwick is a big moose who welcomes various animals (beginning with a small ant and ending with a bear) to live in his horns. it seems like a parable about being a 'sucker.' it made me reflect on when sonja and have felt like we've offered ongoing hospitality to others without their reciprocating, and how, like thidwick, we felt the weight of that over time. so, i thought to myself, what is dr. seuss trying to say and how does it connect to jesus? is hospitality--a way of life modeled on the self-giving of the holy trinity--foolishness? and what does it mean to be a 'sucker' and where might hospitality be denied? the temptation in contemporary america is that we have to be tolerant, we don't want to say no for fear of offending people. but when i was a pastor i learned that sometimes saying no allowed for a deeper spiritual journey. it made space for the holy spirit to work. like when someone not at all active in the church wanted me to 'do' their kids, and i said no, while inviting them to church and a process of reflection about what god is up to in their lives that has led them here to baptize their children. is that response, that 'no', offering hospitality? does always offering hospitality make us at times 'suckers' and therefore not as strong in our witness to a faith that really matters?
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