Sunday Breakfast 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
2nd Kings 4:8-11, 14-16, 2, Romans 6:3-4, 8-11, Matthew 10:37-42
Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines hospitality as, “generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests or hospitable treatment. Hospitality is essential to the Christian life, It has its root in God and it is found in the bible as one of the things that indicate that you are a child of God.
The first reading and the gospel of today captured the necessity and efficacy of helping, protecting and treating others well.
The major point of today’s readings is that whenever we are presented with an opportunity to help, an opportunity to save others it is advisable to do it, not out of selfishness but because of what the person is “child of God”and whatever we do for God, there is always a reward.
The Woman of Shunem as Exemplar
The first reading today presented us with the encounter between Elisha and the woman of Shunem and how the woman extended a helping hand to the prophet.
There are few things we will like to point out about this woman which will effectively guide us in our earthly ministry and showing hospitality to people.
1. The woman of Shunem did not know who Elisha was, only that she saw him passing along the way, so she pressed him and offered him some food to eat.
She does this constantly whenever Elisha is passing. The point is that she was presented with an opportunity to help and she did not say no to that opportunity.
This is just like Abraham in Genesis 18. Opportunities like this are always presented to us every day. How have we treated the people we meet along the way, the people living around us and those we are in positions to help?
What do we do with these opportunities that are given to us everyday? I am not surprised that one might be in need, to solve that need, God presents to him or her an opportunity to help a needy person and how he or she treats this opportunity can return to have a rebound effect.
2. Secondly, though the woman was high in rank, she did not wait for Elisha to begin to request for help. She saw she had what it takes to help, and she acted in accordance.
This means that we must not wait for people to approach us to help. That hospitality that comes from the heart always comes with a lot blessings.
3. Thirdly, despite her rank, She did not wait when to give Elisha millions, what she offered him was only food and shelter and yet got a great reward. Therefore, despite the little we might think we have, let us always offer helping hands to those we can.
4. The woman did not act out of selfishness and did not do that because she is barren, or that God through it will bless her, No. She did what she did willingly and God still rewarded her.
Therefore, we must not have anything in mind before we give or do something for God. God already knows our minds.
5. In the readings, you can observe that She did what she did because of God. She said to her husband, ‘Look, I am sure the man who is constantly passing our way must be a holy man of God. Let us build him a small walled room, and put him a bed in it, and a table and chair and lamp; whenever he comes to us he can rest there. Therefore, we can see that by her concern and her actions she also promoted the preaching of the Word.
Do it for God
In the gospel of today Jesus says “No one who prefers father or mother to me is worthy of me. No one who prefers son or daughter to me is worthy of me”. This indicates that whatever we do, the first motivation should be “God”.
What we do for God must not revolve around those we love but beyond our relatives and loved ones. Here, Jesus uses the family bond to drive home his point and the type of attitude He wants from His disciples.
If we have to love him, the love we have for him must go beyond family bond. If we want to follow him,it must exceed the bond we find in different families, and whenever we want to do anything because of him, it must go beyond our family members and those we love.
When the woman of Shunem helped Elisha, she didn’t know where she came from. She did not consider whether they are related by blood or not. She did it because she saw he is a holy man of God.
When Abraham fed the strangers in Genesis 18, he did not know who they were and never considered if there was any family ties. The secret is “all for God”.
1 Peter 4:8-9 advises all to do this from the heart and without grumbling. The love we show to one another can invite compassion and forgiveness upon us. He says “ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling”.
Challenges cannot stop you
Let nothing stop you from doing good. The woman of Shunem has no child, and did not consider who is going to take the service of providing for Elisha, she took it all by herself.
She did not grumble against God nor refused to help His prophet because she was barren. Jesus says “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me”.
So, despite the oppositions and challenges, the love we have for Jesus should be our constant motivations.
There is Always A Reward
The single good thing one does, can be an answer to a particular problem. Sometimes we may not know the good things we can invite into our lives when we extend a helping hand to the other person.
When Abraham fed the strangers in Genesis 18, He did not know he is going to end up feeding the angels of God and promise of a child, and when the woman of today fed Elisha, She never knew she will end up with a promise of a child.
In the gospel of today, Jesus says “Anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me. Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes an upright person because he is upright will have the reward of an upright person. If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not go without his reward”.
In Mathew 25:40 Jesus says “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. We might always end up feeding God and not even the person we think of.
St. Martin of Tours is famous for sharing his cloak with a man who was begging in the cold.
He was a soldier in the Roman army and one day, during a severe winter, he met a poor man who was begging near the gate to the city.
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The man was almost naked and was trembling with cold. Martin felt called to help the man, but had nothing with him. He drew his sword and cut his army cloak in two, wrapping himself in what was left and giving the beggar the other half.
That night, Martin had a dream in which he saw Jesus himself dressed in the half of his cloak that he had cut. “Martin has covered me with his garment,” he heard Jesus say.
This became a turning point in the life of the saint. We may not know what we truly invite into our lives when we do good to others. No goodness goes unrewarded.
Conclusion
1.Showing hospitality is a kind gesture that gladdens the heart of God. We must not have enough before we give. We can offer anything we can. The woman of Shunem offered only food and a small room. Abraham offered only food, St. Martin of Tours offered just a cloak yet they were rewarded.
2.The Key figures today used what they have to promote the well being of the other. This is a call on all of us to use whatever we have, despite how little.
It can be our gifts and talents to promote the evangelization of the poor. Anyone who takes God seriously and gets involved with God’s work, will always try his best according to the abilities and the opportunities God has given to us, without excuses. Just as the woman of Shunem.
3.The woman of Shunem demonstrated her concern for God’s work. She saw Elisha was a man of God, and she tried more for Him but today when the things of God come to the fore many begin to grumble and give excuses on why they would not support.
Jesus’ statement in the gospel encourages all to do all we can in the promotion of evangelisation. Do not rest on your laurel that you have nothing to offer. There is always something to offer to God.
4. What I love so much in this woman is the respect she had for her husband despite her rank. What she did for Elisha, she did, with the respect for her husband’s authority and leadership.
She politely involved him in the matter and appears to have left the final decision up to him. This beautifully illustrates how godly wives must be wise and submissive.
Good wives become more Godly by showing respect for their husband’s position of leadership, as this Shunammite woman did. She showed the influence, aid, and support a godly wife can have on her husband.
5. Whenever we truly welcome God’s servants, we welcome the presence of God. Jesus says, “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me.” It means that when we welcome those whom God has sent to us, we are not merely welcoming human beings; we are welcoming the presence of Christ working through them.
In the first reading, the Shunammite woman recognized that Elisha was a holy man of God. She did not treat him like an ordinary traveller. She gave him food. Later, she and her husband prepared a room for him to rest. Because she honoured the servant of God, her home became a place of divine visitation.
This teaches us that supporting the work of God is not a waste. Helping those who labour in God’s vineyard is not foolishness. Encouraging priests, missionaries, catechists, evangelizers, and those who sincerely serve God is a way of participating in the mission of God.
Today, many people find it difficult to support God’s servants. Some are quick to criticise them but slow to pray for them. Many do not book masses because they feel it will go to the priest and they do not want it, yet they want the priest to be toiling and presenting their intentions. That is the cross.
Some fight them, insult them, discourage them, and make their work more painful. Some believe that giving to a servant of God is a waste, but they can spend much more on things that do not feed their souls.
Some people forget that those who preach, pray, visit the sick, bury the dead, counsel the broken, and stand with people in their darkest moments also need support, rest, encouragement, and care.
The Shunammite woman did not know that the man she was helping carried the answer to her hidden pain. She simply honoured what God was doing through him and through that act of hospitality, God remembered her.
When we welcome God’s servants with love, we welcome the work of God. When we make their mission easier, we become part of the blessing they carry. When we pray for them, support them, and encourage them sincerely, God sees it and rewards us immensely. A home that honours God’s presence will never be empty of grace.
6. Jesus said that anyone who gives even a cup of cold water to one of His little ones will not lose the reward. It means that God does not only notice big sacrifices. He also notices small acts of love.
Sometimes we think that because we cannot do big things, we should do nothing, but Jesus tells us that even a cup of cold water matters. A simple kindness matters. A small gift matters. A kind word matters. A prayer matters. A visit matters. A message of encouragement matters. A helping hand matters. Many great blessings begin with small acts of goodness.
Today, Some people see opportunities to do good and ignore them. Some see someone in need and pretend not to notice them. Some of us have the means to help but close their hearts. Some say, “What is this small thing I can give?” and because they cannot do everything, they end up doing nothing.
If God can see the little good things we do, then God also sees the little things that people overlook.
Do not wait until you have millions before you become kind. Do not wait until you are rich before you become generous. Start with your cup of cold water. A small act done with a big heart is precious before God.
7. The Shunammite woman gave Elisha a place to rest, and God blessed her with a son. This is one of the most beautiful lessons in the reading. She did not ask for a child. She did not present her pain before Elisha. She did not use her kindness as a bargain. But God saw the desire of her heart.
This means that hospitality can open doors we did not even know were closed. Sometimes, while we are busy helping others, God is busy preparing our own blessing. Sometimes, while we are wiping the tears of another person, God is arranging someone who will wipe our own tears. Sometimes, while we are giving rest to others, God is preparing peace for our own home.
The Shunammite woman had a hidden pain. She had no son, and her husband was old but her hospitality touched heaven. What she could not give herself, God gave her. What money could not solve, grace solved. What looked impossible because of her husband’s old age became possible by the word of God.
Some people block their own blessings by selfishness. Some shut their doors against others and later wonder why life feels dry for them.
Some refuse to be a blessing to anyone, yet they expect everyone to bless them. Some only give when they are sure they will receive something back. Some treat people with contempt but they do not actually know the grace those people carry.
8. The danger of selfishness is that it can make us miss divine visitation. What if the Shunammite woman had ignored Elisha? What if she had said, “This is not my problem”? What if she had closed her door? She may have missed the blessing connected to that moment.
God often hides great blessings inside simple opportunities to love. A hungry person may be carrying a blessing. A tired servant of God may be carrying a word for your family. A poor person may be your test of mercy. A stranger may be an instrument of divine visitation.
Hospitality does not make God our debtor, but it opens our hearts to His grace. When we become channels of blessing, God knows how to make blessings flow back into our lives.
So, let us not be tired of doing good. Let us not close our hearts. Let us not despise small opportunities to help. The room the Shunammite woman built became the place where her miracle was announced.
May our homes, our hands, and our hearts become places where God can pass through and leave blessings behind. God bless you and happy Sunday.
Ten Qualities of Jesus that Must motivate You to come to Him
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