The shunammite couple

"Let us arrange a little room..."

Friends! Is it not such a delight, to the heart and the mind, when we make new connections or discoveries? Especially when they are contained in the Word of God!? I find so many connections or themes or patterns, that speak of the Divine House Guest now. It is such a confirmation of God's ever-present love for humanity, this breath of the Holy Spirit, this living Word, speaking of Him whose story is THE STORY! Always new but always Him!

I invite you to contemplate the story in 2 Kings 4:8-37 of Elisha, a Prophet of God and the Shunammite woman and her husband, in light of the DHG devotion. I'm sure you will be delighted by the connections! Take a minute to read the verses.

It begins with Elisha coming to Shunem, so he's traveling. He comes across or is met by a woman 'of influence' or a 'great woman', which could also mean wise. This woman recognizes that Elisha is a man of God and 'urges' him to dine with her and her husband. Are we not reminded of Abraham? Who ran from the entrance of his tent and begged the Lord not to go on past? To have a little food brought? And we know what Abraham meant by "a little" was the best of what he had! The Shunammite woman consulted with her husband regarding their hospitality, just as Abraham consulted with Sarah. The Lord asks us to offer Him hospitality in the same way, today, when we receive Him in the Holy Eucharist. To become for Him, another Abraham and another Sarah.

The hospitality Elisha received from the couple, must have been welcome and refreshing, as he then made it his habit to stop and dine with them whenever he was passing by!

This couple's first act of hospitality leads to another act of love for God, when the woman is inspired to create a room for Elisha. She suggests to her husband that they, "arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay there." Similarly, we are directed through the DHG devotion, to prepare an interior room, where we should welcome the Lord, the Divine House Guest of Souls, God! How much care do we take when we imagine the details and the state of this interior space?

Elisha is grateful to the woman for her hospitality to him and for serving God so well, "lavishing all this care on us". He asks if there is someone she would like him to recommend her to? The king? The woman declines, she has all she needs. Later, Elisha consults with his servant, Gehazi, who must have been empathetic because he knows that the woman's heart desires a son. Elisha calls her and, "when she had been called, and stood at the door." In our lives, we are called by God to open the door of our hearts to Him. In the DHG, we stand at the open interior door as we approach Him in Holy Communion.

Elisha tells the faithful woman that in a years' time, she will have a son. This is the same pattern we see with Sarah and also Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary. The Shunammite woman has a similar reaction to Sarah as well, she questions Elisha- "do not deceive your servant". But as with Sarah, God keeps His promise and she indeed has a son. Both women can be said to prefigure the Virgin Mary, the seat of wisdom.

The second half of the Shunammite woman's story is incredibly relevant to our understanding of the spiritual practice of the DHG. By hosting the prophet of God, so frequently, the wise woman became a servant of God- self-proclaimed! For us, spending time with the Eucharistic King, allows Him to change us, to strengthen us, to put us back in order and become servants. When God enters our home, He brings His good gifts with Him!

Did preparing a room for Elisha prevent possible tragedy befalling the woman's precious son? No. Will preparing a room interiorly protect us from tragic events? No. Rather, it teaches us and prepares us to live them, to suffer them, with Christ. There is so much to contemplate here. Take a minute and see where the thoughts lead you!

If we have been preparing interiorly, as with the practice of the DHG, receiving the Sacraments, we will be changed when tragedy strikes. Has He not given us grace in every reception of the Holy Eucharist? It will be His peace, His meekness, His humility, that allows the Holy Spirit to speak through us and to declare, "It is well with my soul".

Friends, let us lovingly arrange a little room, so that when He comes to us, He can stay!

Molly Uttaro