Come, Come

Feb 4

Whenever I travel to a new place, I am often nervous about local etiquette which includes where to sit, when to stand, and whom to follow. That uncertainty can make my movements less decisive and leave me feeling on edge.

When I was with the Oblates in our Indian Region; however, I found myself immediately at ease. I didn’t worry about those small but nagging questions of etiquette. My peace was a direct result of their hospitality, expressed most simply through a phrase they used often to offer gentle direction, “Come, come.”

Come, come…sit with me.
Come, come…stand with me.
Come, come…walk with me.

What I experienced in India was more than cultural kindness. It was hospitality as a spiritual direction. The repeated invitation, “Come, come”, did not demand that I knew the rules; instead, I belonged before I got it right, before I knew what I was doing. Those words did more than welcome me; they steadied me.

I have often reflected on hospitality as a source of healing. Now I also recognize it as the first movement of discipleship. When Jesus says, “Come, follow me,” I have always focused on the following. What I had overlooked was the hospitality that comes first which is found in the invitation that makes following possible. Even if it is not the exact scriptural phrasing, I now hear the call more fully and more tenderly, “Come, come…follow me.”