(Please read the Scripture passage before the homily.)
What was with Sodom and Gomorrah? Why does Isaiah address his people as Sodom and Gomorrah? The ancient law of hospitality was that the citizens should welcome into their homes any stranger passing through town. People passing through town who had to sleep in the town square or an alley did so at risk of being beaten, robbed or otherwise violated. In the time of Abraham and Lot, the people of Sodom refused hospitality and instead mistreated visitors badly.
It is for a similar lack of hospitality that Isaiah scolded his people. True, the people were going through all the externals of worship, but their lives did not reflect that worship. Isaiah challenged them to redress the wronged, hear the orphans’ plea and defend the widow. He said that they had to make justice their aim. These are all social action items and are things that we must do according to the laws of hospitality.
It is not a question of abortion or of sexual expression. Rather it is a question of providing the means for living to children, both before and after birth; single mothers; immigrants; refugees; caring for those in prisons; and all others in need of our hospitality.
The law of hospitality provides a safety net to travelers and those in need. It is not socialism or a handout; it is a question of justice, an obligation we cannot neglect, unless we want to hear Isaiah’s words proclaimed against us.
Hospitality also reflects God’s mercy, God’s compassion, and God’s hospitality. When we were unable to get out of our sins, God sent the Son to make his home among us He welcomed all who came to him. God took us off the streets, welcomed us into God’s own place and made us at home there. Now we must, as individuals and as a people, apply the same hospitality to neighbors, old people, young people, children, families, refugees, even enemies among us. We must treat others as God has treated us.