All Christian peoples agree to that because hospitality includes all other virtues. It must be exercised and respected by all men of good will - especially by those who carry the honourable name of a Knight Hospitaller. Therefore we must not devote ourselves to any other task with more dedication than to this very task the Order has got its name from. History proofs that these words of Vert t were not a hollow formula in the Order of St. John but were filled with life in the practical service. The Hospitality of the Order of St. John roots in a profound spirituality, which we dealt with above, and it is one of its elements.
Hospitality is service to the Poor of the Lord.
This attitude seems quite strange, especially as humility is commonly not associated with the factual life of the knights. But we must take into consideration that the knights usually were very submissive and devout to their superiors. The crusaders considered Christ their supreme superior whom they finally served. Serving the hungry, thirsty, estranged, naked, sick or imprisoned therefore means serving Christ and that is exactly what the knights were up to. Therefore it is just a consequence of their faith and their ideals of chivalry to serve the poor as their Lords.