(With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, I thought it might be helpful to focus on a few ancient and modern examples of extraordinarily hospitable individuals. They were known for receiving others into their homes, sharing what they had in the spirit of brotherly affection.)
Exaggerated examples are useful when trying to make a point. We often employ this method of instruction when speaking with children. A parent says to a child, “Why did you do that? You could have broken a window!” “Well Michael did it first,” the child replies. “Well, if Michael jumped off a cliff, would you?” The parent hopes that a valuable lesson can be taught by pointing out – however overstated – potential results from indiscriminately following a friend’s lead.
In the books of the Gospel, Jesus used a similar method of instruction. He sometimes told parables depicting exaggerated conditions. The exaggerations enhanced the meaning and scope of the stories.
Take, for instance, the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35). A man is forgiven an overwhelming debt by his Master. This same individual immediately casts a fellow servant into prison for a small amount of money owed. The glaring contrast between the two situations highlights both the great compassion and the gross insensitivity of which anyone is capable.
And then, there is the lesson concerning Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31). The extreme poverty of Lazarus coupled with his virtue, enables us to see a greatness open to Man even under duress. Not many of us are able to identify personally with Lazarus’s condition, and yet, that is the point. If Lazarus in his innocent and severe suffering can find it is his heart (according to the saints) not to blame God or Man for his situation; if at the end of his miserable life (by earthly standards) he can soar into Heaven, escorted by angels; then what excuse can there be for us not to reach the heights of virtue?
And what about the Rich Man? Who among us has experienced his life of excess? And yet, such an example of luxury and waste demonstrates that anyone can be indifferent toward others. No one is immune from a self-absorbed life and poor stewardship. A man may have resources to save tens of thousands, and yet never once stoop down to help one individual. On the other hand, a person may have next to nothing, but then double down on his situation using his poverty as an excuse for hurting others.
Whether he be rich or poor, however, a man’s condition may also move him to sympathize deeply with the less fortunate, to be for them a source of inspiration. Lazarus is such a person whose example has inspired Christians for 2000 years.
Overall, the lesson of Lazarus reminds us of the traditional importance of hospitality. It is significant that the name Abraham is prominent in this particular parable. He was known for showing hospitality to strangers. Abraham and Sarah entertained three men, sometimes described as angels, whose presence was a sign of God’s visitation. The Patriarch’s compassion at the Oak of Mambre stands in sharp contrast to the Rich Man’s insensitivity.
This episode from Genesis, chapter 18, is depicted artistically in what has been called the greatest icon ever painted – written – The Hospitality of Abraham by St. Andrei Rublev. He reposed in 1430 A.D. and his feast day is July 4. The inspired work is sometimes referred to as The Icon of the Holy Trinity. A large copy hangs in St. Barbara’s parish hall just above the pass-thru kitchen window. The Trinity icon is offered for veneration in many parishes on the great feast of Pentecost (Trinity Sunday) and on the feast of Theophany, because at our Lord’s baptism, “the worship of the Trinity was made manifest” (Troparion).
In various cultures hospitality is a long-standing art, as well as a discipline. It combines creativity and imagination along with diverse expressions of local and foreign customs. To this day, for instance, at any Serbian American Slava – a family’s patronal feast – the beauty of hospitality is on display. The family observes ancient Christian rites and social graces as they entertain friends. The hosts carefully tend to the needs of their guests.
Hospitality, however, involves more than sharing food, housing and cultural traditions. Broadly speaking, it includes a generous state of mind and spirit, receiving others respectfully as well as joyfully into one’s life. In spite of his extreme poverty Lazarus possessed such a spirit, demonstrated by his humility and refusal to cast blame.
Within Orthodox tradition numerous saints were known to have welcomed strangers into their humble abodes, sharing what little they had. On the liturgical calendar there is even a man by the name of Sampson the Hospitable (+ 530 A.D.). Sampson happened to be a wealthy physician who turned his home into a free clinic, providing patients with food, shelter and medical assistance. He was later ordained a priest and persuaded the Emperor Justinian the Great (+ 565 A.D.) to establish a hospital for the poor. It became the largest free clinic in the empire and served the people of Constantinople for six centuries.
We Orthodox in the South were blessed for forty-plus-years to have had a strong local example of hospitality in the person of His Eminence Dmitri, Archbishop of Dallas and the South (+ August 28, 2011). His Pascha, Pentecost and Christmas receptions were well received, adding to the spirit of the feasts. These yearly “soirées” were natural gestures proceeding from a generous heart. In addition to the much beloved dinners were countless gifts from the Archbishop to individuals, families, seminarians, clergy, churches and veterans in need. A large portion of his salary went to assist those less fortunate and to struggling missions. A child of the Great Depression, His Eminence knew what it meant to be without basic necessities. He was, therefore, guided through life by a spirit of hospitality and charity.
Inspirational for me, as well, was an Orthodox woman who reposed in the 1970’s. I was quite familiar with her life story. She was an immigrant from Russia whose family life in America was extremely difficult. She raised nine children on a small two-acre farm. Her husband had a second job, also physically demanding. In spite of their hard and modest life, this woman never refused beggars who passed by the house: the couple, like the Archbishop, lived during the Great Depression. She tried her best to offer food and drink to strangers in need. As a quiet yet powerful example of hospitality, she instilled this same generous spirit in her children.
The Gospel lesson from Luke 16 presents us with two extremes: Man at his worst in the person of the Rich Man, and then Lazarus – Man at his best – overcoming every obstacle, staying true to God’s Law written on the human heart, no matter how difficult the circumstances.
Life presents us continually with these same lessons, these two extremes and everything in the middle. It is fortunate that most of us have had people in our lives who are loving and faithful. Such individuals just naturally embody the precepts of the Gospel. Let us strive to learn from them, receiving them with joy as personal revelations of generosity given by God.