Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 28, 2026

In the late 1700s the manager of a large hotel in Baltimore refused lodging to a man dressed like a farmer. He turned the farmer away because he thought the fellow’s shabby appearance would discredit the reputation of his distinguished hotel. The farmer picked up his bag and left without a further word to anyone.

Later that evening, the innkeeper discovered that he had turned away none other than the vice-president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson! Immediately, the manager sent a note of apology to the famed patriot, asking him to come back and be his guest in the hotel.

Jefferson replied by instructing the messenger as follows: “Tell him I have already reserved a room. I value his good intentions highly, but if he has no room for a common American farmer, then he has no room for the vice-president of the United States of America.”

A great story, isn’t it? It’s all about showing hospitality—which is also the theme of our readings today. Our first reading deals with the ancient prophet Elisha, who would often visit a town named Shunem. Now, one thing to remember is that prophets were often a bit weird. A good example is John the Baptist, who lived out in the desert, wore strange clothes, ate strange food, and insulted a lot of people with a message most didn’t want to hear.

But in our story of Elisha, this “woman of influence” sensed that, despite appearances, this prophet was a special person. The woman perceived that Elisha was a “holy man of God.” And so, she showed hospitality to him, first offering him a meal, and then rearranging her home so that he could have a comfortable place to stay whenever he was in town.

Hospitality was very important in that culture, in that time and place. Traveling about meant a lot of sweat and dust. It meant going long distances on foot, and experiencing hunger and thirst from the journey. Consider the experience of the holy family, when Mary and Joseph had to go 100 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, with Mary, quite pregnant, jostling along on a donkey. And, as we know so well, when they arrived, there was no room at the inn. And so, just as in the case of Thomas Jefferson, the weary travelers had to make due with less than first-class accommodations.

In today’s gospel Jesus says, “Whoever gives only a cup of water to one of these little ones to drink…amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” But you can’t look down your nose at people, as the hotel manager did with that poor farmer, Thomas Jefferson. You can’t ration love, you can’t be stingy with it, you can’t save it only for those who think and act exactly like you.