As promised, after introducing the Four Pillars of Stewardship and Discipleship, we are going to look at each of these pillars, reflecting on how they are currently being lived here at the Cathedral and where there may be room for growth.
When naming this pillar, the Synod states simply that hospitality calls for us “to invite people proactively to join us in prayer, especially Sunday Mass.” Perhaps the first thing we think about when we hear hospitality is how we receive people who come to us, making them feel seen and welcomed. That is important, but notice how the definition is not so much about welcoming as it is inviting. A sign of hospitality is our willingness to extend the invitation for people to come to experience Jesus. After all, this is what prayer is most fundamentally, having a personal relationship with Jesus. The greatest prayer of all for us as Catholics is, of course, the Mass.
Putting the emphasis on invitation over simply welcoming is admittedly more intimidating. For in welcoming people, the hard work has been done. The other person has entered through our doors, and we just need to receive them with cheerfulness and gratitude. As I said, that is indeed important. But to go to a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, and to actually invite them into something can be hard. We fear being rejected, or we fear that we might not be able to respond to questions that others might have about our faith. However, whenever we are firmly grounded in our own personal relationship with Jesus and our love for our Catholic faith, especially the Mass, how can we not want to invite others to that same experience?
For some people who are not Catholic, inviting them to Mass might not be our first step, as they could feel overwhelmed. For those individuals, perhaps the invitation is simply an offer to pray with them. As you read that, perhaps that gives you anxiety! If we personally know Jesus and are comfortable talking to Him in prayer, what is so hard about inviting another person into that? Again, if it feels awkward to do that, perhaps that is an indication of our need for deepening our relationship with Jesus, so that we can be more willing to invite others to experience Him as well.
If the person we are thinking of inviting deeper is a Catholic, but one who has been away from the practice of the faith, perhaps our invitation is not first to come back to Mass, but first to go to confession. To make the invitation more acceptable, we can offer to go with them and also go to confession. Again, that might cause us anxiety, as perhaps it has been some time since we last went to confession. But just know that the Lord desires to free us from our fears, and more importantly, to free us from our sins, so that experiencing His love and mercy for us, we will be the more willingly to invite others to that same encounter.
Of course, we can and should invite others to join us for Mass, and as with confession, offering to go with them to Mass so that they do not feel isolated, as though they do not belong. To be with that person, to pray with them, to pray for them before the Lord can be a powerful form of hospitality.
Pray to the Lord this week, asking Him if there might be somebody He is asking you to invite to encounter Jesus more deeply. Pray for that person by name for several days, then, with faith, offer whatever invitation is most appropriate for where they are in their journey of faith.
Father Alford