​Many years ago when I was in Religious life there was a small plaque in the foyer of the house where I lived which read “When a Guest Enters, Christ Enters.” Later I learned that it was a rephrasing of an important characteristic of the Rule of St. Benedict regarding hospitality: “Let everyone that comes be received as Christ.” (Chapter 53:1).* In the years since, I have thought that this should be a characteristic that marks every Christian home. This attitude of welcome should be evident in our behavior outside of our homes, too; any stranger we greet ought to be welcomed as if that person was Christ. The Gospel message of Jesus, both in His words and deeds, makes it clear that our love is what will mark us as one of His followers. To love is to welcome: the gospels are replete with passages in which Jesus taught what it means to love, and He never turned anyone away who sought Him for any reason, giving special care to those who were ‘out-casted’ by society. Therefore, in the light of what Jesus taught, it is important to reflect upon the nature of our welcome to Him, especially when He arrives in one of His more “distressing disguises,” as St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata used to say. 

Our lives consist of a series of potentially welcoming events. As newborns we were meant to be welcomed into the loving arms of our parents with great joy and fanfare. This is not always the case for many in the world, however, and so it is even more important for us to be welcoming to those who do not know the joy of being accepted and embraced. For one who is broken, to be sincerely welcomed is often the beginning of healing, even if in the smallest way. This is what Jesus did when He welcomed the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well, or when He engaged with Zacchaeus and then with Levi (Matthew), as well as numerous lepers, blind or infirm people He healed, sinners at whose tables He sat, and even the demoniacs who were truly desperate cases. Not only that, but when Jesus was the guest He brought a welcoming attitude, a profound openness to those He encountered. Every person, worst sinner or greatest saint, has always been welcomed into His heart if they sought entrance, and He even welcomed those who did not! The door to the heart of Jesus is never closed.

In the Old Testament the call to welcome the stranger appears numerous times in the Law as well as in the Prophets. It was clearly an essential virtue in the Jewish faith. An example is found in the Book of Jonah in which God tells Jonah to go to the ‘enemy’ city of Nineveh to preach. Jonah agreed, but then sailed in the opposite direction. He ended up being swallowed by a large fish, in its stomach for three days and nights, (symbolic of being in the darkness of despair), and through God’s mercy, being saved. This time Jonah went to Nineveh straight away; to his shock everyone from least to greatest not only welcomed him, but also took God’s message to heart and repented. Jonah became indignant at this, needing to learn yet another lesson about mercy which then God provided. The meaning behind this ‘long parable’ ** was actually a message for all the Jewish people of his day: If you are not welcoming to those ‘other’ than you are, even your enemy, how do you expect them to want to come to God? That is, unless we welcome the stranger, the ‘other-than-we-are,’ into the entirety of God’s message, (which means to love them), we cannot expect them to listen, or consequently to believe and thus know the saving power of God’s love. 

We are God’s ambassadors, the ones who extend His love and mercy to others, though unfortunately we are also capable of withholding it. Therefore, it is important that we reflect upon the kind of hospitality and welcome we offer not only to guests who enter our homes, but to guests who enter our lives through everyday encounters. As disciples we are called to respond courteously when we are unintentionally (and even intentionally) wronged, to offer Christian love to the poor, marginalized, ill, disabled, those who adhere to different religious or political views, or who are new to our neighborhoods, churches, schools, or civic organizations. Do we receive them as if we are receiving Christ? We must remember that whether we meet a friend or a stranger, Jesus might be ‘hidden’ within layers of hurt, brokenness, and poverty (materially or spiritually) with which their heart may be overburdened. If we respond to Jesus with loving hospitality, the person may begin to see His presence within them, and therefore accept the new life He brings. Our welcome to such a brother or sister brings them back into being seen, heard, and accepted into the life of the Church, a community of believers, filled with hospitality and love. 

Jesus is not a demanding guest, but rather, He gives, offering whatever it is we need. As our welcome becomes one with His, we will become living residences to which people will come for shelter. Thus, we will be building up the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.” (Matthew 18:5) Therefore, it is in welcoming a ‘child of God’ that we are welcoming a guest, and when a guest enters, Christ enters. 

​May we learn to receive Jesus the Guest, especially when He comes to us in a ‘distressing disguise!’ May we become as a shelter for those who are lost, confused, or in need of a friend! And may we offer others a welcoming heart filled with kindness, mercy, and love, revealing our God who desires to welcome all into His Kingdom! Let us continue to meet in the Heart of Jesus! Peace! 

​                                        ©Michele L. Catanese

Notes:
* The quote is from the Rule of St. Benedict chapter 53:1, as noted. To be clear, my religious community was not Benedictine, but hospitality was part of our charism.
** The Book of Jonah is included in the books of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. It is indeed prophecy, but the author was anonymous, sharing God’s message through a story: here, the writer (a prophet) purposely set Nineveh in a time-period and place that were erroneous in order to make sure the reader recognized this. Thus, this book was written in the form of a story (having an embedded meaning like a parable) in which Jonah is a character and not a real person. Storytelling was very much part of the Jewish culture and these stories always bore a message which the hearer was to glean. Jesus was a master of storytelling in this form, though His parables were shorter, always about the Kingdom of God. 

Images:
1. Painting, The Visitation by Bl. Fra Angelico. This is the quintessential welcoming of Christ: Elizabeth literally welcomes Christ within Mary. 
2. My photo of an icon, The Samaritan Woman at the Well. This photo was taken at the church that houses Jacob's Well today, in the very place where Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman. It is in Jericho, Palestine.
3. Painting, Jonah in the Fish, by Luisito Magno.
4. My photo, flowers in window boxes in Lugano, Switzerland. 
5. My photo of a man with his young son taken in Portree, Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland.
6. Icon, El Buen Pastor, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. Jesus the Good Shepherd knocks on the door of our heart. Let us welcome Him in! You can find this at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/el-buen-pastor-188-william-hart-mcnichols.

Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. 

During a walk in my neighborhood I stopped to watch some baby birds, Killdeer, running to and fro under the watchful eye of their mother. Their tiny legs moved so fast it was comical, but observing them provided an opportunity to reflect upon the gift of life and the spiritual gift of wonder and awe, gifts which could have been easily missed. Much of the wonder of life passes us by for many reasons, although sometimes it is because we forget to look. Sadly, this also can hold true for the amazing parts of our faith. Thus, the Church in her wisdom provides us with special feast days to remind us of the wonder of what God has done so that our hearts might be expanded and our faith assisted. One such feast day is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, followed the next Friday by another, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It should not surprise us that these two are celebrated within the same week since the Sacred Heart beat within the Body of Jesus, and from it, His Blood flowed. The Eucharist is inextricably united with the Heart of Jesus; that is, His Body and Blood was a gift given from the depths of Love which flowed from His Heart.

On the Solemnity of Corpus Christi we were reminded of the everlasting gift of Jesus’ own Body and Blood, physical food made spiritual, which literally brings Jesus into our own heart and soul as we also enter into His. The wonder of the entire Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus coming in a small piece of bread (and a cup of wine)* is beyond our comprehension, and yet it is so: every time we partake of the Eucharist we are receiving the gift of eternal life offered in the mystery which is alive within the consecrated bread and wine. (John 6:54) While it is beyond understanding, it should not surprise us that God can do this any more than it should surprise us that the Lord of All Creation could come to us in the form of a tiny baby born in a stable. As Mary was told by the angel at the Annunciation, nothing is impossible for God. Therefore, the celebration of Corpus Christi connects with the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a gift of our shared humanity offered through a Divine gift. Though also God, Jesus understands from experience what it is to be human and how difficult love can be for us because of our human limitations. Like us, His Heart knew the joy of loving family and friends, as well as the pain of being broken with sorrow. Therefore, in celebrating His Sacred Heart which expands infinitely in unfathomable love, we are celebrating everything about Jesus that is of love, mercy, compassion, and goodness directed toward us.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a continued outpouring of the love God has given from the first moment of creation. Only a God who loves His people infinitely could have responded to a people so prone to sin by sending His Son into the world to redeem us by shedding His own blood. Jesus’ Heart is consistent with the Love that is at the heart of His Father, but it is also entwined with the heart of His mother. Therefore, it also makes sense that we celebrate the Immaculate Heart of Mary the day after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The flesh and blood of Jesus were one with hers: Jesus was "the fruit of her womb," and therefore intimately connected to her own body and blood. No more beautiful, Immaculate Heart ever beat within anyone than that of Mary. As a result of Mary’s virginal motherhood Jesus’ Sacred Heart and hers were wrapped together in the love of the Father through the working of the Holy Spirit. Meditating on the beauty contained in the realities in these feasts is indeed a cause for wonder and awe, especially because Mary and Jesus offer themselves to us always. 

Therefore, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary call us to the best of our humanity by immersing us in theirs. Through His Body and Blood, and consequently through His Sacred Heart, Jesus calls us to share intimately in the Divine life He shares with the Father and the Spirit, that we might become more holy in order to bear hurts with dignity, seek His grace to forgive, open ourselves to those in need through compassionate works of mercy, and to invite God within so that our heart might become more like His. As we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary we can take more time to notice the presence of God’s love, pondering in our hearts the miracles of each day. Perhaps as we become more intentional in looking for the signs of His presence we can learn to joyfully savor the small miracles of life, developing eyes and ears to see and hear better, particularly when we approach God in our prayer.  We can rejoice in the Immaculate Heart of Mary whose example of selfless love is indeed a wonder, especially because she shares that love not just with her Son, but also with us. If we rely on these wondrous hearts, seeking and finding refuge there, we can persevere through the challenges of our lives until the day when we will enjoy the banquet in the Kingdom of God forever.

May we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary daily with the wonder and awe such Love can awaken within us! May we take the time to open our eyes to little miracles and be moved to joy and gratitude! And may we put the Gospel message of love into practice that we might grow in holiness while bringing others to Jesus! Let us meet in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary! Peace!

                                                                                        ©Michele L. Catanese
Notes:
For more on the killdeer you can click here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer/media-browser/483312
or here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killdeer
​* Note that when one receives the consecrated Bread, one is receiving the fullness of Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The consecrated Wine also contains the fullness of Christ in this way. One might ask why we need both, then. The answer is that (ordinarily) both are given since Jesus gave us both 'species' (that is, forms) of His Body and Blood, saying "Do this in memory of me." However, due to an abundance of caution, (other than the priest who is acting 'in persona Christi'), we are only receiving the Eucharistic Bread at present.

Images:
​1. My photo, a killdeer in my yard. 
2. Painting, Chalice and Host by Jan Davidsz de Heem. 
3. Icon, Bogolubskaya Icon of the Mother of God by Fr. William Hart McNichols. Even though the hearts of Jesus and Mary are not 'featured' here I liked that the scroll says, "I choose the little ones and the weak." Those who love purely see the beauty in the little ones, as Jesus taught and Mary continues with her intercession for us. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of this icon in one of many mediums, go to https://fineartamerica.com/featured/bogolubskaya-icon-of-the-mother-of-god-151-william-hart-mcnichols.html
4. Stained glass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
5. Painting, Bluebell Wood by Nicholas Hely Hutchinson. 

Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time.