The qualities of faith, hope, and love would be an obvious place, but I have chosen to start with the notion of hospitality. The Christian commitment to hospitality helps us to flesh out what we mean by the great virtues of faith, hope, and love. Hospitality was a key theme in the New Testament. Frequently we see Jesus enjoying the hospitality of others and making it an image of the good news of God's kingdom. It also connects well with the focus on medical ethics that has dominated my previous columns.
Hospitality is more than just room and board.
The history of the birth of the modern hospital in the hospitality of the religious houses reminds us that hospitality involves responsiveness to the needs of others. Hospitality involves welcoming others in their need, whatever it might be, and seeking to meet that need. We cannot hope to do this unless we are attentive to those around us. This was a central characteristic of Jesus' life and ministry, and needs to be seen in the lives of his followers. To be hospitable to the need of the other means going beyond our sense of what is best for them.