Philoxenia

Philoxenia is the virtue of radical hospitality. It’s how we might find ourselves entertaining angels without knowing it. The lives of many Saints show us philoxenia in action. If you’re looking for a particular post, check the index.



Disability, saints, and the need to feel seen

Disability, saints, and the need to feel seen

This post about saints with disabilities is based on a presentation I gave to parents and clergy at the St. Nicholas program of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in June 2023. The St. Nicholas program is a camping experience for children with disabilities and their...
If you don’t know what to do, be kind

If you don’t know what to do, be kind

I said this on my Facebook page a few years ago, and it seems worth saying again: If you can’t think of anything else to do right now, be kind. Find one or two or five organizations that feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, minister...
Halloween hospitality

Halloween hospitality

This morning’s Gospel was the story of a poor man named Lazarus and a rich man whose name we don’t know. Or, rather, we know his name all too well. It’s my name. It’s yours. We, all of us, are the rich man. And it’s such an interesting...
A table where strangers are welcome

A table where strangers are welcome

I love words. Words are my toys, and they’re my tools. I think with them, I work with them, I play with them. I use them to interact with people, and I use them to understand the world. And while I’d like to say that I love all words equally, that’s not true. I have...
When names matter more than money

When names matter more than money

Bill is a huge fan of Steven King and Dean Koontz and Sue Grafton. He was reading Grafton’s J is for Justice, and at some point in the story, one of the characters makes vanilla and chocolate brownies. So, he told me, he decided to check and see if Grafton was on...
How to love strangers: Lessons in philoxenia

How to love strangers: Lessons in philoxenia

Too often, it feels like all of the news you hear is bleak and sad, filled with hopelessness, anger, and hate. The Church teaches us to defeat evil by cultivating the corresponding virtue. To overcome pride, we cultivate humility. To overcome sloth, we cultivate...

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