True hospitality is fit for the Angels

by Mary Regina Morrell

"Looking up he saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them and bowing to the ground he said, 'Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant. Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet and then rest yourselves under the tree. Now that you have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves and afterward you may go on your way.' " Genesis 16:2-5

Tucked into an ordinary strip mall in the ordinary city of Avenel is an extraordinary store - an embodiment of what Longfellow described as "hospitality sitting with gladness." In an era of chain stores and trendy shops that come and go after the money is made, Cherishables, as it is aptly named, is a husband and wife business - the fulfillment of a dream. This old-fashioned gift shop breathes thoughtfulness from the moment one enters the store. A cushioned Victorian chair sits snug near a carved and delightfully decorated wooden fireplace -- just in case a visitor is weary. A filled candy dish is within arm's reach and magazines lay nearby for the occasionally shopping-worn husband or boyfriend. A spacious and airy ambiance, even with treasure ladened shelves, is carefully created with aisles wide enough for wheelchairs to maneuver.

Customers become friends in an instant and will inevitably leave with a hug as often as they do arms full of purchases, wrapped beautifully and without charge!

Here the hype and gimmick of contemporary retail sales is wonderfully absent.

The care is genuine. The thoughtfulness is genuine. The desire to serve is genuine.

When it comes to hospitality, some people just "get it" - like Diana and Allen, the store's owners.

Or people like Abraham and Sarah who welcomed three strangers with lavish hospitality at the Oaks of Mamre where the couple had pitched their tent, only later to find out they were serving God and God's angels. Scripture recalls the event admonishing, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2). It was through strangers such as these that Sarah and Abraham were consoled by God's promise to give them a child.

As Lutheran pastor Mary W. Anderson explains, "The purpose of hospitality is to prepare a welcoming space for encounters with God's word. It's not that God's word cannot be heard in barren, inhospitable places or circumstances. God is not so limited, but we are. God can speak in any situation, but we, frail creatures, cannot always hear."

The nature of hospitality is love and an understanding that all we have is from God and meant to be shared with others, especially our presence. Abraham understood this so well that he considered it a favor to be allowed to serve the strangers and share what little he and Sarah had.

God calls us to do the same, not just in our homes or schools or places of business but, most especially, in our hearts. There, in such an intimate place of hospitality, strangers will come to hear God's word of Love, spoken through our Lord.

So if you're in the mood for some shopping, loaded with hospitality, make your way to Cherishables.

You may find me in the back -- entertaining the idea of purchasing a glorious handmade angel!

__________________________________

Mary Morrell is the author of Angels in High Top Sneakers by Loyola Press and three reflection journals, including one on the Mysteries of Light, available through the Metuchen Office of Religious Education.

Your Catholic Voice is a movement to promote faithful citizenship based on the fundamental truths of the Catholic Church relating to Life, Family, Freedom and Solidarity. For information go to Your Catholic Voice http://www.yourcatholicvoice.org

Contact

Diocese of Metuchen
http://www.diometuchen.org NJ, US
Mary Regina Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Education, 732 562-1990

Email

mmorrell@diometuchen.org

Keywords

hospitality

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