Sister Catherine Cleary prepares for guests at Benet House.

Hospitality opens the door of the human heart.

It makes way for deep connection.

And although we cannot expect mutual welcome, we can expect change to occur for both.

“Extending hospitality to others nurtures them whether or not we see them bloom,” Sister Rita Cain, OSB says.

“It does the same for us. Without realizing it, we become better people.”

Grace is the gift of our welcoming presence, given freely and lovingly.

“An Irish custom is to put a candle in the window to welcome strangers,” Sister Margaret Murphy says.

“If you can’t put a candle in your window, put a smile on your face.”

And although lighting candles and smiling are actions, Sr. Margaret says, they convey a state of being.

“People always remember how we are to them,” she says. “We spend our lives doing when we should spend them being. That’s what people will remember. How we are.”

In the end, practicing hospitality is about being present to others – and ourselves. It’s about listening without a personal agenda. It’s about opening ourselves to all.

It’s about becoming.

And it’s what Jesus taught us.

Part 9: 3 Ways to Practice Hospitality