Abrahamic Hospitality: What Philoxenia Means and How to Live It Today

Abrahamic hospitality is the oldest Christian way of welcoming: opening the door to the stranger as if God himself were knocking. It takes its name from Abraham, who by the oaks of Mamre welcomed three strangers and, without knowing it, welcomed the Lord. The Eastern tradition calls this episode Philoxenia, "love of the stranger", and has made it one of the best-loved icons in all of Christendom.

The story of Genesis 18

Abraham sits at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looks up and sees three men standing before him. He does not wait for them to ask: he runs to meet them, bows to the ground and begs them not to pass him by. He has a little water brought to wash their feet, asks Sarah to knead bread from fine flour, chooses a tender, good calf and has it prepared. Then he stands beside them under the tree while they eat.

The text does not say that Abraham asked who they were, where they came from or what they could give in return. He serves them. Only at the end does the story reveal that the Lord was present in those three guests, announcing the birth of Isaac.

What Philoxenia means

The Greek word philoxenía joins phílos, "friend, one who loves", and xénos, "stranger, guest". It is the very word used in the Letter to the Hebrews: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Heb 13:2). For the first Christians hospitality was not an optional courtesy but a sign of recognition: wherever there was a community, the pilgrim found a table and a prayer.

Rublev's icon of the Trinity

In Byzantine and Russian iconography the scene at Mamre is called precisely the Philoxenia of Abraham. In the early fifteenth century the monk Andrei Rublev turned it into the famous icon of the Trinity, kept for almost a century in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and since 2024 in the Trinity Lavra of Saint Sergius at Sergiev Posad (as of October 2026): Abraham and Sarah disappear, and the three angels remain seated around a table, with an empty place in front, like an invitation to the viewer. It is perhaps the most beautiful image of what Christian hospitality is: a place left open at the table.

"I was a stranger and you welcomed me"

In the Gospel of Matthew (25:35) Christ identifies himself with the stranger: whoever welcomes the stranger welcomes Him. This is why monasteries in both East and West have always kept a guesthouse and a table for pilgrims. In the Rule of Saint Benedict guests are to be received "as Christ"; in Orthodox monasteries pilgrims are welcomed with a glass of water, a sweet and a prayer.

How I live it in my home

In my home near Taormina I try to live the same spirit, in a simple way. I do not offer accommodation or a service: I invite people to share a day. We pray together, prepare the meal and eat it at the same table, indoors or outdoors, under a tree or in a meadow, like Abraham by the oaks of Mamre. We walk in the countryside, talk about the saints, take time to be together. In the evening everyone returns to their own home.

Hospitality has no price and does not depend on any offering: whoever comes is welcomed for who they are. Everyone contributes as they can: anyone who cannot leave anything is welcomed like everyone else, and takes part by giving a little of their time. Everything is described on the page Christian spiritual days in Sicily.

Hospitality is for everyone: an invitation

You do not need a big house or a perfect life to welcome others. A table, an open door and the desire to share what you have are enough. If many Christian families opened their doors even for just a few days a year, no pilgrim would be left alone. If these words touch you, write to me: I will be happy to tell you about my experience.

How to take part

The days take place near Taormina, in Sicily. The places to visit are agreed together each time. There is no overnight stay: we share one day, and in the evening everyone returns to their own home. Hospitality has no price and does not depend on any offering: whoever comes is welcomed for who they are. Everyone contributes as they can: anyone who cannot leave anything is welcomed like everyone else, and takes part by giving a little of their time.

The days are reserved for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, because they are lived in shared prayer. To ask for a date, simply write to me on WhatsApp. The spirit of the days is told in the manifesto of hospitality.

If you would like to know what makes this mission possible, read The circle of love.

Explore the other pages

The days: Christian spiritual days in Sicily · Spiritual search and finding yourself · Day retreat, silent retreat and pilgrimage: the international names

Spiritual travel in Sicily: Spiritual tourism in Sicily: the guide · Pilgrimage walking routes in Sicily · Holy Week and Easter in Sicily · Religious festivals in Sicily: the calendar · Orthodox pilgrimage in Sicily · Spiritual Nordic walking and ski walking in Sicily

Nature and places: Spiritual Taormina · Spiritual walks in nature · Christian meditation in nature in Sicily · Places to meditate near Taormina and Messina · Places to meditate in Sicily

Prayer: Christian asceticism: the spiritual struggle · The prayer of the heart or Jesus Prayer · Hesychasm: the prayer of stillness · The Philokalia: the Neptic Fathers

The saints of Sicily: Byzantine Sicily and the Italo-Greek saints · Saint Hilarion the Great in Sicily · Saint Methodios of Syracuse · Saint Joseph the Hymnographer · Saint Elias the Younger of Enna · Saint Agatha of Catania · Saint Lucy of Syracuse · Saint Pancras of Taormina

Sources

• Genesis 18:1-15 (Bible Gateway, RSV)
• Hebrews 13:2 (Bible Gateway, RSV)
• Matthew 25:31-46 (Bible Gateway, RSV)
• Wikipedia – Trinity (Andrei Rublev), history and location