Benedictine hospitality

March 8, 2009

The Hospitality of a Cussing Community Saint

Tonight I am thinking of the hospitality of a cranky vituperative relative of mine, my Uncle Omer.  He lives in a town of about 400 people in the center of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and perhaps I am thinking of him tonight because the wind has been wicked here in west central Illinois.  Uncle Omer is often out in bad weather, for he’s the township supervisor, and one of his jobs is the drive the snowplow over the whole township, something he begins doing in the middle of the night, so that the roads are clear each dawn. Continue Reading

September 10, 2008

Hospitality across Party Lines

Where have you seen hospitality practiced amid conversations about presidential candidates?

The activist in me remembers that there is a time to identify with the biblical prophets, especially those like Amos who were angry about exploitation of the poor and shallow, self-centered behavior among leaders. I am among those who protest a misguided war with Iraq, who are disturbed by our current leadership’s indifference to civil liberties, who worry often that we are not spending nearly enough time getting to know peoples and lifeways in other parts of the world. Continue Reading