We met in sixth grade. I was a new kid in the school and felt very much out of place. Maybe it was his gentle manner, or that he was the oldest in the class. Whatever the reason, in his quiet and unobtrusive way Kyle sensed my discomfort and welcomed my arrival. It was the beginning of a friendship that has endured for the better part of a century.
What prompted his welcome? For some, to be welcoming is an innate, natural gift. For others, perhaps, it is a posture that requires a conscious decision. Either way, it is an attitude that is rightly and highly praised. With my jejune sixth-grade awareness, it would not have occurred to me in Kyle’s case to question its source. Neither would I have been able then to link it to any biblical imperatives.
Welcoming others is, of course, a biblical imperative. The scriptural mandate of opening our hearts and homes to the orphaned, the widowed, and the alienated is as constant as it is direct. Hospitality is the most ancient of virtues. Recall the stories of Abraham receiving the three strangers in his tent, or Lot sheltering the mysterious visitors just before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Then, of course, there is the searing imagery in Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats in the much-referenced twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel.
It was in the subsequent years of our friendship, as our paths opened and our maturity developed, that the source of Kyle’s kindness became clear to me. It was a gift from God, a natural endowment. It required no religious instruction or prompting.
Like his father before him, Kyle was ordained an Episcopal priest. In addition to his pastoral and familial responsibilities – all fruitfully blessed – he counseled souls troubled by addictions and loneliness and comforted many seeking solace and hope. Though our lives have had their respective challenges, the call of Kyle’s vocation was never muted. Indeed, if they were attentive, those fortunate enough to know him could themselves hear echoes of it. Kyle’s journey on this earth has been one dedicated to the genuine love of Christ and the committed service of others. His welcoming spirit, like his priestly vocation itself, was indeed a calling – a precious gift from God.
Somehow it is ‘fitting and proper’ that the first anniversary of Kyle’s death occurred this year during Holy Week. For his beautiful family, this coincidence must surely stir even more deeply their Christian belief in the Resurrection and their anticipation of a joyful reunion. For me, this coincidence has a similar effect. Like that new kid in sixth grade so many years ago, I am reminded of the promise of welcome.
On behalf of the trustees of the National Catholic Community Foundation – a joyous Eastertide to all of you who share in the advance of the Kingdom.