The manifesto of hospitality

Why I practise Abrahamic hospitality

I open my home because I believe hospitality is a concrete form of prayer. In the Gospel, Christ makes himself a guest and a pilgrim: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35). To welcome whoever knocks is to welcome Him.

My model is Abraham by the oaks of Mamre (Gen 18). Sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day, he sees three strangers, runs to meet them, bows down, offers water to wash their feet, has bread kneaded and prepares the best he has. He does not ask who they are: he serves them. And without knowing it he welcomes God himself. The Orthodox tradition has treasured this episode as the Philoxenia of Abraham, the love of the stranger, and made it the icon of the Trinity.

I draw inspiration from the tradition of Orthodox Christian communities and monasteries, where the pilgrim always finds a table and a prayer. There a guest is not a customer but a gift. I want to live this same spirit in my home, in everyday life.

Like Abraham's tent, my home does not offer a service: it shares a life. Whoever comes in does not find a facility, but a family that prays, works, cooks and walks together.

What it means to be my guest

My hospitality is not about staying the night. I do not offer accommodation or a service: I invite you to share a day with me.

We will pray together, prepare the meal and eat it at the same table, at home or outdoors, under a tree or in a meadow, like Abraham by the oaks of Mamre. We will walk in the countryside discovering the history of the place, and take time for recreation, simply to be together.

In the evening everyone goes back to their own home, taking with them what they have lived.

Hospitality is reserved for Christian brothers and sisters, Catholic and Orthodox, because the day is lived in shared prayer.

Like Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, I ask nothing in return: I only ask you to come with an open heart.

The values that guide me

• Welcome. Every person is the image of God. I welcome people without judging where they come from or their story.
• Prayer. The day begins and ends before God. Shared prayer gives meaning to everything else.
• Sharing. Bread broken together, the work of our hands, time given freely: nothing is mine alone.
• Gratuitousness. I have received freely and I want to give freely (Mt 10:8). Welcome has no price.
• Simplicity. A sober life, caring for creation and far from the superfluous.
• Respect. For the person, their pace, their silence and their freedom, including the freedom not to take part.

The day we share

Those who come do not watch my life: they become part of it. The day has a simple rhythm, which each person lives in their own freedom.

1. Community prayer. We open and close the day together in prayer: psalms, readings, silence, a song. It is the heart of the house.
2. Food prepared together. We choose the ingredients, knead, cook and set the table side by side. Then we sit at the same table, indoors or outdoors, bless the food and eat it with gratitude. Tidying up together is part of the meal too.
3. Time for recreation. There is time to play, laugh, tell our stories and listen to music. Joy is a Christian virtue.
4. Walks in the countryside. We walk in nature to contemplate creation and discover the history of the place: its churches, villages, traditions and the people who lived there.
5. Silence and quiet. I leave room for anyone who needs to be alone, to read, to reflect.

And much more: every guest brings something of themselves, and the day is enriched by what each person knows and loves to do.

Hospitality is a gift

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. This mission lives by entrusting itself to Providence and to the generosity of those who pass through, in the circle of love in which whoever receives with joy, gives with joy. Anyone who would like to know what makes it possible can read The circle of love.

Guests as friends

Whoever comes is welcomed as a friend, not as a customer: there is no service and no commercial relationship. For this reason everyone takes part freely and on their own responsibility, taking care of themselves, their health and their belongings. During walks and activities each person judges for themselves what they can do, follows directions with prudence and mentions any health problems, allergies or limitations. Minors take part under the responsibility of those accompanying them. Ilarion, who welcomes guests out of friendship and without any organised structure, is not liable for accidents, damage or loss of any kind, within the limits permitted by law.

What I ask of guests

I ask guests for only a few things:

• to live in the house as a family, taking part as much as they feel able;
• to respect prayer, silence and people;
• to lend a hand with the small things of everyday life;
• to bring an open heart.

An invitation to do the same

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 these words touch you, I invite you to do the same, in your own home and in your own way. If many families opened their doors even for just a few days a year, no pilgrim would be left alone.

Write to me: I will be happy to tell you about my experience and to walk alongside you. How the days work is described on the page Christian spiritual days in Sicily.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb 13:2).

— Ilarion

How the Christian spiritual days work