Nowhere in the Bible do we find the words “God helps those who help themselves.”
Hebrews 13:2 and Matthew 25:35 challenge our traditional ideas of hospitality which too often focus on the virtues of “privacy” and “self reliance.” St Paul urges us to “...to show hospitality to strangers, for by this, some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Heb 13:2).
We do this by reaching beyond our own comfortable world and familiar friends. Through joining with others in programs such as RAIHN, the Dining Room Ministry, or RH2NO, we expand our “safe” world. Even on our own, we can extend God's love to strangers by simple, open-hearted acts of kindness and hospitality.
We do this because Christ loves us, not because someone has “earned” it. Strangers who need us are all around us. As Jesus said,
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in” (Matt 25:35).
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