Well, in writing Unclean I developed an ongoing interest in expressions of Christian hospitality. And if you dig at all in this history and literature you quickly come across Chapter 53 of The Rule of St. Benedict "The Reception of Guests."
Chapter 53, Verse 1 might be the most famous and influential part of The Rule of St. Benedict. It reads:
1All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.From the hospitality of Abraham in Genesis 18 to Matthew 25 to the Road to Emmaus to the epistolary injunctions to practice hospitality, Chapter 53, Verse 1 of The Rule of St. Benedict captures the point as well as anyone ever has:
When you welcome others you welcome Christ.
Hospes venit, Christus venit.
What a profound challenge. I have empty rooms in my house, without homeless people living in them. I have spaces in my life where I have not let Christ in.
Hospes
venit
Christus
venit
That'd fit nicely on the back of a T-shirt.
I'd put a "Chapter 53, Verse 1" on the opposite side.
I briefly considered and rejected a doormat. Did you know there's a rose named the 'warm welcome'? I'd put one of those on the front and make it part of a themed set.