Gastonia Times

In the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day, love is a prominent theme in movies, shows, and advertisements. This focus on romance often equates it with love itself. However, there's more to love than what popular culture suggests.

Reflecting on how we express love daily brings to mind the Benedictine tradition of hospitality. This tradition calls for welcoming each person as Christ. "To receive another as Christ is, in part, to see in their need the very poverty Christ embraced for our sake," emphasizes its significance at Belmont Abbey's campus.

Hospitality requires recognizing the individuality of each person. It means extending unique gestures of kindness and friendship that reflect one's understanding of God's will in personal ways. As stated, "Just as each vocation and each life witnesses the working of God’s will in specific and intimate ways, receiving another person as Christ depends on striving to see them in their full, created personhood."

Moreover, true hospitality involves inviting others into one's life and space, accepting vulnerability while offering rest and consolation. "Hospitality does, and should, cost us something – though it’s a joyful cost," the statement explains.

While literal hosting may not always be feasible, welcoming others can take many forms. Making time for interruptions or sharing personal experiences are ways to welcome others into our lives meaningfully.