CHAPTER 15 – GENEROUS DISTRIBUTORS OF GOD’S GRACE

“Do not despise those faithful who come to you seeking hospitality. Receive them, put them up, and set them on their way with kindness, treating them as one of yourselves.“ -St. Cuthbert

“The man to whom little is not enough will not benefit from more.” -St. Columbanus

“Every visible or invisible creature is a theophany [an appearance of God].“ -St. John Scotus Eriugena

The heart of our apostolate as Christians and as a religious community is hospitality. We give with hands overflowing what we have received with hands empty.

Our experiences have shaped us. Suffering and pain have fostered patience and strength, while joy and celebration have offered a taste of life’s abundance. Beauty has pierced our hearts, and within our community, we’ve encountered unconditional love. Through silence, we’ve heard God’s voice, and our Common Rule has guided us to a life of purpose. In Jesus Christ, we’ve found meaning and our place in the world.

Now, we turn outward. In a world often marked by violence, noise, and alienation, we offer the gifts we’ve received. We offer patience, joy, appreciation for beauty, love, and the wisdom of silence to a world yearning for peace and connection. In our communities, churches, and everywhere life takes us, we stand ready to share all we have received when we ourselves had nothing.

Scriptural Support

Do not be deceived. Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:16,17 (RSV)

As generous distributors of God’s manifold grace, put your gifts at the service of one another, each in the measure he has received. 1 Peter 4:10 (NAB)

[Jesus said,] “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” Luke 6:37,38 (RSV)

[Jesus said,] “Everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.” Luke 12:48 (RSV)