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Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time 3 John 5–8
In 1999, I was sent to a mission station in the mountains of East Timor.
The country was poor.
The mission had almost nothing.
There was little money, few resources, and many needs.
So I went to Catholic communities and shared the situation.
Help came.
A German Catholic organization helped us buy a truck.
Australian Catholics raised funds.
Other people gave what they could.
Saint John praises Gaius for his hospitality.
Gaius welcomed travelling missionaries.
They had left home for the sake of Christ.
They went from place to place, preaching the Gospel.
They depended on local believers for food, shelter, and support.
Gaius received them.
He helped them.
He sent them on their way.
Saint John says that by doing this, Gaius became a
“co-worker in the truth.”
That is a beautiful phrase.
Gaius was not necessarily a preacher.
He may not have travelled far.
He may not have founded churches.
But by welcoming those who did, he shared in their mission.
His home became part of the Gospel.
His table became part of the Gospel.
His generosity became part of the Gospel.
Hospitality has always been important in the life of faith.
Abraham welcomed strangers under his tent.
Only later did he understand that he had welcomed messengers of God.
The Letter to the Hebrews says:
“Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have entertained angels.”
Jesus says the same thing in another way:
“I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”
Hospitality is not only good manners.
It is a way of recognizing Christ in the one who comes to us.
The early Church grew because people opened their homes.
Lydia welcomed Paul and his companions in Philippi.
Others gave food, money, shelter, and protection.
By doing so, they became co-workers in the truth.
This is still true today.
The Church’s mission needs people who preach.
But it also needs people who support.
People who welcome.
People who give.
People who organize.
People who pray.
People who make the work possible.
A missionary may stand in front, but behind every mission there are many hidden hands.
Saint John reminds us that nothing given for the Gospel is small.
A room can serve the Gospel.
A meal can serve the Gospel.
A donation can serve the Gospel.
A word of encouragement can serve the Gospel.
A welcome can open the road for the Word of God.
So today we can ask:
Do I support the mission of the Church?
Do I welcome those who serve the Gospel?
Do I use my home, my gifts, my money, and my time for Christ?
Gaius teaches us that not everyone is called to travel.
But everyone can help the Gospel move forward.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Mark
Year of Mark - Get it from Amazon
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
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