Neighbour, Oye!

By Isabel Jemmott and Angelo Kurbanali

RCIA catechists

Trinbagonians tend to be value-driven people. We like our lime and bacchanal. Don’t even talk about the value of the Eucharist to a Trinbagonian Catholic—you will hear the most beautiful stories.

However, arguably our deepest value, hospitality distinguishes us from the rest of the world’s cultures; Santa left the North Pole to come to Trinidad and Tobago after all—ask Machel Montano and Daisy Voisin.

Yet sometimes, it is hard to find hospitality in our Church. One way we might remedy this issue is practising hospitality and getting to know our neighbours in the pews.

Christian hospitality can be thought of as seeking to share our experience of God’s friendship with others. Though we are hospitable by our Trinbagonian nature, we should not take it for granted that Christian hospitality will always happen.

As we sit in church, glimpsing familiar faces, we can ask ourselves, “Do I really know my pew neighbour? Who is this person?” We might smile or nod and think, “they look nice, and they come to church, so surely they would make some good company.”

Sharing God’s friendship with others requires us to transform our thoughts into actions. Jesus shows hospitality in the way He treats people, especially people society overlooks.

Theologians use a Greek word, kenosis, to describe the way Christ poured out Himself in service of others, including through His hospitality. The first step to becoming a kenotic (outpouring) Church is starting with getting to know the neighbours in our pews.

Knowing our neighbours requires courage, especially for those of us who are shy. Just as Jesus said to the paralytic, “Courage, pick up your mat and follow me,” (Mt 9:2–6), we must have that same courage.

A ‘morning, neighbour’ can go a long way, especially when our pew neighbour might likely be our literal neighbour, too. Getting to know your pew neighbour could be like getting to know a new friend—soon you will be asking about their kids or their week.

It can be said, what we lack in society are people who authentically care about others. Simply saying, “Hi, I see you here often, my name is… how are you?” can be transformative. Personally, I (Isabel) have made a friend just like this—we both kept crossing paths and, one day, I found the courage to introduce myself. I can now say she is a very dear friend.

Instead of nodding at our neighbours during the Sign of Peace, let us physically greet them, like Archbishop Jason insists. For some, this may be the only genuine connection they have for the week.

Simple actions in getting to know someone can make a huge impact, not only on that person, but on you, too. You never know, we might be bringing out the ham together next Christmas, as Marcia Miranda famously sings.

The idea of being a hospitable Church is not new. Many of us remember ‘the 3 Hs—hospitality, homilies, and hymns’ that our Archdiocese introduced as pastoral priorities in 2019.

Hospitality remains a pressing need in our local Church. The 3 Hs were meant to “renew the Sunday experience”, and the Sunday experience is meant to renew our daily evangelisation. Evangelisation, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is a fundamental aspect of our Catholic identity, and is the work of the entire Church—not only the clergy.

As Vatican II reminds the Trinbagonian Church, “the laity are called in a special way to make the Church present and operative” (Lumen Gentium §33) in all spheres of society, like our workplaces and classrooms, especially because, like Pope Francis said, “the joy of the Gospel is for all people” (Evangelii Gaudium §23) and not simply for Catholics alone.

Christ’s Spirit-filled hospitality leads us to everlasting joy. Should we not want to share this joy with everyone?

Our Sunday morning hospitality should continue into our Thursday morning faith—our Church family is an extension of our actual family. Soon enough, it will become second nature to converse with our pew neighbours.

The anticipation to see them next Sunday would be the fuel we need to get through our week. You might find yourself a friend you have been waiting for.

Friendship rooted in Christ is not easily shaken. Let us learn to love and cherish one another as Christ taught. If we could encourage you to do one thing to wrap up our Jubilee Year of Hope, it would be to reach out to the person sitting beside you and say, “It is so lovely to see you here.”