Our friends texted us a dinner invitation for 7 PM on a Tuesday evening. They mentioned that a Franciscan brother and friend of theirs from their alma mater was passing through town, and a call to some area alumni had gone out. We were the only guests who weren’t alumni, and we felt honored to be included…and truth be told, a bit enticed by the thought of a rare night out in the middle of the workweek (our kids stayed home doing homework).

Soon after arriving, we saw this would be a dinner for 11, some of whom were meeting each other for the first time. Maybe this will be like a gala dinner, we thought, where you do your best to get to know the person seated next to you, but where it’s often hard to connect and not much time to go deeper.

But just seconds after the opening prayer, we were proved wrong. Raising a toast to the visiting Franciscan and the order’s ministry at his alma mater, our host went on to share how the Franciscans had played an outsized role in his journey of faith. His voice broke as he recalled specific moments when the Franciscans were there for him, and how their presence had helped him to forge a strong foundation for his life ahead.

Our hostess then followed with her own deeply personal reflections on how God had met her through that same ministry. And then…gulp…they invited us to go around the table and share with the group about ourselves and our own faith journeys. About 90 incredible minutes later—when we stood up to pray together in the living room and then on to coffee and dessert—our hearts were full, like after a praise and worship service, or a particularly deep encounter with an old friend. What happened?

What happened over delicious pasta, salad, and bread was that 11 men and women chose to listen and share deeply, to take a risk and open their hearts. We all know how easy it is to lead with what author David Brooks calls our “resumé virtues”—our achievements, triumphs, and status. But that’s not what happened around this table.

Our host set a tone of radical hospitality. His and his wife’s courage and humility parted the waters for the rest of us. They made it easier for us to share our struggles, our crosses, and yes, the beautiful ways that God is sustaining us and meeting us. Our anxieties, loneliness, mourning, and physical hardships were mixed in with stories of blessings, grace, birth, and joy.

Before we share how the evening ended, we can’t help but preach a quick “sermon to ourselves” while the memory of this dinner is fresh. In this 5^th week of the month, when we turn with you to Level 5—Hospitality & Service of your Trinity House, we also see a timely moment, just ahead of all the holiday hosting, to challenge ourselves in practical ways:

Perhaps you won’t be surprised to hear that, after dinner, our hosts invited all the guests to grace the evening by praying together. In an unscripted prayer from the heart, our host returned the gift of the evening to God. Then, over coffee and dessert, we delved into conversations with each other, eager to follow the threads of the stories we had just shared. And we couldn’t help but give hugs to one another as we said goodbye.

As we drove home, we talked about how we had just experienced a little glimpse of heaven in our friends’ home. In the weeks ahead—as friends and family come and go from our homes, tasting of our hospitality—let’s remember that. We all have the chance to partner with the Holy Spirit in giving our guests a glimpse of heaven. 

Next week, we look forward to sharing some Level 1 / Faith Life applications your family can find in Pope Francis’ newly-released encyclical on the Sacred Heart,Dilexit Nos. You can read it at this link.