Faith Learned, Faith Lived: Hospitality Opens Doors for Saints & Students

The year of faith is a celebration of our calling to follow Christ and how we can come to know Jesus in our commitment to the ACE community and Catholic Schools. Our prayer is that we can learn to find Jesus in the ordinary and routine things of our lives.

One of the first places a visitor sees on the Notre Dame campus is the Eck Visitors Center. A statue of St. André Bessette stands there as if to show that everyone is welcome. St. André was a Holy Cross Brother who lived a simple life as a doorkeeper at a school in Montreal. His superiors assigned him to this duty because he had not had much education; they thought doorkeeping was all he could do. He graciously accepted this as a ministry of telling people that God loved them.

This was the message of good news that everyone needed to hear. We continue to need this message in our lives. St. André proclaimed it by his welcome, patience, non-judgmental attitude, and loving acceptance of every person. He loved everyone like Christ. There were so many people who came to see him that the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal was built; the visitors wanted to be in the presence, and hear the message of, this holy man who became a saint.

We can learn much about living our faith and knowing Jesus if we read stories of the lives of saints. St. André reflected Jesus through hospitality. Hospitality and loving students is what a teacher can teach every day. This leads young people to Jesus.   Here are two stories that illustrate the point of how hospitality can lead someone to know they are loved and discover Christ.

An ACE teacher was teaching one morning, and, after a while, a little fourth grader came up to her and hugged her. The child whispered to her, “My mother was dead when I went into her bedroom this morning.” The teacher was shocked and could not think of a word to say, so she did what was natural. She hugged the little girl, told her she loved her, and walked her to the principal’s office.

Another ACE teacher had a boy in her second class who was very disruptive. She went home every day and felt that she was failing the student as well as all his classmates. She thought this was her cross to carry. Part of her teaching was to prepare her students to make their First Communion. The mother of the problem student gave the teacher a letter on the day of the First Communion that read, “Thank you for loving my son. He loves you and appreciates you very much. He is excited to be united with Jesus in Communion.”

Both of these teachers, in the ordinary events of teaching days, did extraordinary things for their students. They were trying to be Christ the Teacher for their students. To do this, they had to know Jesus, act like him, and love the students. A way to do this is to be hospitable and provide a welcoming atmosphere for students. Jesus opened his heart and loved everyone. Hospitality helps a teacher to do the same. Students are in the process of learning; but as young as they are, they know what love looks like. The little girl whose mother died could go to her teacher and feel loved, and the disruptive boy was able to experience love even when he was his worst self.

Teachers show hospitality by opening their hearts to students. The students feel it, their hearts are cracked open, and they love back. If a teacher wonders about how to be Christ the Teacher, just be aware of the example of a saint like St. André Bessette and provide hospitality. Your love will make a difference in your life and help you and your students discover Jesus.