Who has not experienced moments of fragility which made them long for the support of a pair of loving arms?  “Come to me, you who are overburdened, and I will give you rest”.  Rest!  That is what my anguished heart was seeking, and someone whispered these words to me.  It sounded like an exact echo of Jesus’ plan for me.  They were old and tired words, worn out with the years… and from being spoken by insincere lips which had rendered them banal without even realizing it…  But that day they sounded fresh and new, and so near to my heart that I trembled.  I remember the noise of the traffic around me and the city streets which seemed endless to me.  And under that grey sky a murmur… like the gentle breeze of Mount Horeb.  They say “the path is made by walking” and that’s what we did: as we walked, I told you about myself and my struggles and my needs and my anguish and my debts, and I felt that sharing was relieving the weight of my worries.  As night fell, and with this newfound peace, it was I who felt the desire to host you, and to share my humble table with you.

You received me, I received you.  And in this interchange my sight and my hearing grew sharper.  My heart was calmed.  The gift and the mystery of hospitality which changes our senses, when he who joins us on the path takes our fatigue and our pain into his heart.  The merciful heart of a faithful God who provides all, who accompanies us all and who captivates us with love.