Respond to 2 discussion post
1.Hospitality within A Faith Tradition
Hospitality describes the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly and generously. Catholicism emphasizes the importance of hospitality as it holds that Catholics should be ready to extend warmth and kindness to all the people (Saptenno, 2021). Catholicism encourages the members to reach out to the weak and offer them the help they need. For instance, during the lent period, Catholics reflect on the encounters of Jesus and encourage the members to extend support and donate to those who lack in society (Mansfield, 2022). It involves sharing what one has with neighbors and the less fortunate in the community. Therefore, from the Catholicism perspective, hospitality expresses kindness and offers help to those who need it.
I have encountered hospitality in the medical arena in many ways. It includes meeting with patients willing to offer healthcare providers the help they need to deliver their services. For instance, I have experienced kindness from patients who have been willing to provide lunch for the staff as a way of hospitality and appreciating the work of healthcare providers. Other times patients and family members have dropped off pastries for the staff as a thank you for the care healthcare workers have provided. In addition, writing “on the spot” recognitions for staff as a thank you for their hospitality is another encounter that truly goes a long way.
The concept of hospitality is applicable in clinical practice. It involves offering patient care services laden with kindness and compassion. When the patients get to the facility they are in a vulnerable state. They need to be received warmly and directed to where they can rest and be assisted and treated. They need to be met with empathy and understanding. When patients inquire about healthcare to the staff and facility, having good customer service is a way to handle the inquiries with kindness and courtesy. This way the patients feel that their inquiries have been dealt with decorum, respect, and dignity. Nurses and other healthcare providers handle the patients and their families with respect, kindness, and compassion in the healthcare facility. The goal is to make sure patients feel that warmth and care while getting medical services. Personally, I plan to apply the concept of hospitality to clinical practice by listening to the patient, being warm with empathy, and be understanding while trying to treat them in the best possible way. Similar to the teachings of Catholicism, I plan to extend warmth and kindness to all people.
2.Hospitality within the Foursquare church
In Genesis 18:1-10, God uses the story of Abraham to address hospitality. Upon Jesus’ arrival, Abraham bows to Him and encourages the servants to immediately bring Jesus water and something to eat, wash His feet, and allow Him to rest. Abraham then kills a young calf to eat; wanting to offer his best to the Lord. Because of Abraham’s faithfulness and hospitality, the Lord says that Abraham and his wife will be blessed with a son (English Standard Version, 2016). God’s blessing of Abraham in this moment demonstrates that God cares about hospitality and reveres it. Putting others above oneself is the heart of God, which He showed Himself by sacrificing His Son for the salvation of the world.
In order to understand hospitality as it pertains to one’s faith tradition, however, it is important to understand what hospitality means. The Oxford dictionary defines hospitality as, “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers” (Simpson et al., 1989). As demonstrated by Abraham in the passage in Genesis, Abraham did just as the definition implies. He offered a friendly and generous reception of food, drink, and rest at the sight of his good friend, Jesus. Even though Abraham was surprised by his visitor, he did everything that he could to make sure that his guest felt welcomed and honored (English Standard Version, 2016).
Although I currently belong to a nondenominational church, I grew up in The Foursquare Church and want to investigate how my upbringing in The Foursquare Church has shaped my view on hospitality. The Foursquare Church has four components that they believe encapsulate their religious views. These include Jesus Christ as the Savior, Jesus Christ who is overcome by the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ as the Healer, and Jesus Christ as The Coming King. Additionally, The Foursquare Church emphasizes doctrines such as maintaining a helpful and cooperative posture to others, relating to one another in their communities and globally with love, and spreading the gospel of God to the world. They acknowledge that relationships are the heart of God. As such, they desire to share the love of God with others in hopes of helping build a divine relationship with the Father (International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, 2022).
Hospitality is two-fold in The Foursquare Church’s faith tradition. The Foursquare Church looks to the example of Jesus as Savior, Healer, being overcome by the Spirit, and The Coming King, as the foundation of their faith. As previously discussed, Jesus led by example through His sacrifice of self for the sake of others. Each of the four cornerstones of this faith tradition respects attributes of each of the characteristics of God, which have different implications for hospitality. Jesus’ gift of healing was a selfless act of love given freely to others, His sacrifice through death on a cross was for the salvation of the world. The gift of the Holy Spirit was given so that believers could have a relationship with God when Jesus was no longer on Earth. The representation of the coming king demonstrates sacrificial love through the gift of eternity with Jesus in Heaven. Furthermore, The Foursquare Church empowers the congregation’s people to maintain a helpful and cooperative posture toward others and relate to one another in love. As demonstrated by Jesus, love and hospitality go hand in hand. In Romans 12:10, the Bible commands us to love and honor one another above ourselves (English Standard Version, 2016). Love is sacrificial. It is not selfish, but rather giving and generous to guests, visitors and strangers alike. Love allows the foursquare church to uphold the principles of hospitality through “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers” (Simpson et al., 1989).
ORIGINAL ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS:
Define hospitality within a faith tradition. This can be the one you are currently practicing, one you have practiced in the past, or explore another faith tradition.
Read the following passages out of the Christian Bible, and identify and reflect on the faith tradition you have chosen to write about.
For this assignment in Faith Integration, you are to read the Gospel of Luke Chapter 10:38-42. Jesus converses with Martha and Mary about service and communication. You may also read the Old Testament reading of Genesis 18:1-10A. Abraham shows hospitality to three visitors.
Here is the catch-Christianity is the religion, Wesleyans is the faith tradition, Catholicism is the faith tradition. The faith tradition provides the particulars of the expression of the religion.
Provide the particulars of the expression of the religion. (4 points-2 points for your exploration of a faith tradition and 1 point for substantive response to the person above and below you)
