By: Sue Hudacek, Tree Hershberger and Ricky Durham

What do you think of when you hear the word Hospitality? It means something different to each one of us. We sometimes think of it in terms of ramps or accessible bathrooms. Other times we think of hospitality as a gathering of our friends and family.  But the starting place of hospitality is bigger than this. It is first in our hearts.

Recently Ricky, Tree and I were invited to share the word at a Presbyterian church in Tacoma. We chose the reading of the Good Samaritan. It reminded me of a skit we tried to act out a number of years ago. Bill Hoskyn was the assistant who played the part of the man who had been beaten and left by the roadside. Dicko (the priest) never left Bill’s side. Janice (a former core member on our L’Arche farm) was sitting in the back row. She got up from the audience TWICE to help Bill up after he cried out “Help me! Help me!” She would not leave until Bill got off the floor (both times). Les (the Levite) played his role well and walked right on by. Carie and Jane (the Good Samaritan) helped Bill get up for the third and last time with Dicko’s help. Dicko patted Bill and stayed with him the entire time.

Jean Vanier, the founder of L’Arche, says “To welcome is one of the signs of true human and Christian maturity. It is not only to open one’s home to someone. It is to give space to someone in one’s heart, space for that person to be and to grow; space where the person knows that he or she is accepted just as they are, with their wounds and their gifts.”

Tree spoke of her recent time with Jean Vanier in France. He talked of the need to cross the road. This calls us out of our comfort zone and invites us to encounter the other. True encounter necessitates transformation. When we truly meet another, we cannot leave as the same person. This is often scary and uncomfortable – a place we would rather not go. But when we do, the gift in the encounter is immense!
So we ask ourselves today, what is calling you out of your comfort zone? What is God inviting you to? Are you open to letting your heart be transformed by someone with differing abilities? Pay attention to this! Otherwise, you will miss the gift of hospitality.