Led by the Spirit, the family circle is not only open to life by generating it within itself, but also by going forth and spreading life by caring for others and seeking their happiness. This openness finds particular expression in hospitality, which the word of God eloquently encourages: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb 13:2). (#324)
Growing up in a family with nine children the signs of life were always plentiful around the house. Being a member of a large extended family with literally hundreds of cousins running around and in a community that was connected through blood and faith in such and intimate manner was always a little crazy. The question, “Am I related to him/her/them?” seemed always to be answered with a yes to some degree or another.
As we move to the end of Amoris Laetitia (we have only one paragraph left) we come to the heart of the gift of hospitality. We are reminded in the beginning of paragraph #324 that the impulse of all family life is generosity in the invitation to share life and bless life in a intimate a holy way. The openness to life is the sharing of hospitality and generosity with the other. I can remember the many visits to Grandma Mary’s house (fraternal) and the celebrations at Grandpa Hank’s (maternal) with the numerous cousins, my uncles and aunts all running about, sharing food and drink along with the stories and laughter of the family gathered.
It is this sharing of life, when we gather and break bread, open our lives in stories and share music, laughter and tears where prayer and faith intersect with the daily work of life that the true blessings of family comes forth.
It is a tradition in our Catholic faith to bless houses, as we bless marriages to sanctify the unity of those living within the house of marriage and the more physical structures of the house. One of the prayers shared is at the door/entrance to the house, “O God, protect our going out and our coming in; Let us share the hospitality of this home with all who visit us, that those who enter here may know your love and peace.Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.” This short prayer, as part of the blessing of the whole house, expresses the meaning of the gift of generous welcome as we invite the presence of God into the center of the life of the family. The gift of open doors, of welcome and in sharing the blessing of life with one another is the opportunity to encounter Jesus at our door.
Our Holy Father Francis continues, When a family is welcoming and reaches out to others, especially the poor and the neglected, it is “a symbol, witness and participant in the Church’s motherhood”. Social love, as a reflection of the Trinity, is what truly unifies the spiritual meaning of the family and its mission to others, for it makes present the kerygma in all its communal imperatives. The family lives its spirituality precisely by being at one and the same time a domestic church and a vital cell for transforming the world. (#324)
As family, we always begin with the husband and wife and their call to welcome the soul of the other to take up residence in their heart, the house of the beloved. This welcoming then extends to children. It is a place where the welcoming of friends and family gather and the love of husband and wife flows through the graciousness of God’s blessings and where they meet the struggles, the hurts, and the sufferings in mutual love and hope in the mystery of the sacramental love shared between them. And we must pay careful attention to this last line of the paragraph where families are called, through the shared gift of love to transform the world. The spirit of hospitality, founded in mutual love, founded on the openness to life, founded with the generous gift of hospitality, where we truly recognize in and welcome all as the living presence of Jesus Christ into our homes does transform the world.
God Bless
Fr. Mark