Angels are entertained by Abraham. They foretell the birth of Isaac. Abraham’s prayer for the men of Sodom.
“And the Lord appeared to him in the vale of Mambre as he was sitting at the door of his tent, in the very heat of the day.” (Genesis 18:1)
The three men signified the Holy Trinity. Religious devotion should carry over to hospitality in treating others with honor.
“Abraham, who was glad to receive strangers, faithful to God and tireless in his service and prompt in fulfilling his duty, saw the Trinity typified. He added religious devotion to hospitality, for although he beheld three, he adored one, and, while keeping a distinction of the persons, yet he called one Lord, thus giving honor to the three but signifying one power. For not knowledge but grace spoke in him. And he believed better what he had not learned than we who have been taught. No one had falsified the type of truth, and therefore he saw three but worshiped their unity. He brought out three measures of meal but slaughtered one calf, believing one sacrifice was sufficient, but a threefold offering; one victim, but a threefold gift.” (4) – St. Ambrose of Milan
The epistle to the Hebrews, where in praising hospitality, says, “And hospitality do not forget; for by this some, being not aware of it, have entertained angels.” (Hebrews 13:2)
We must be careful to be clean of heart so that the Lord can dwell in it. In the three virtues of faith, hope and charity come forth all the fruits of the church.
“Now where did this happen? ‘Near the holmoak of Mamre,’ which in Latin is interpreted as “vision” or “discernment.” Do you see what kind of a place it is in which the Lord can have a feast? The vision and discernment of Abraham delighted him; he was clean of heart, so that he could see God. Therefore in such a place and in such a heart the Lord can have his feast. Of this vision our Lord spoke to the Jews in the Gospel when he said, ‘Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day. He saw it and was glad.’ He saw my day, he says, because he recognized the mystery of the Trinity. He saw the Father as day, the Son as day, the Holy Spirit as day, and in these three one day. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and these three are one God. For individually each person is complete God, and all three together are one God. Moreover, because of the unity of substance, in those three measures of flour the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not unfittingly understood. However, this can also be taken in another way by understanding Sarah as the church; the three measures of flour then are faith, hope and charity. In these three virtues all the fruits of the church are contained, so that if one merits to possess the three within oneself, one can with security receive the entire Trinity at the banquet of one’s heart.” (4) – St. Caesarius of Arles
On the Most Holy Trinity dwelling in our souls: The Father tenderly told St. Catherine of Siena, “I call the soul ‘heaven’ because I make heaven wherever I dwell by grace.” As
St. Catherine herself grew to savor the Trinity’s presence within her, she would cry out in worship and praise, “You, Eternal Trinity, are a deep sea. The more I enter You, the more I discover, and the more I discover, the more I seek You.” St. Catherine’s example encourages us to rest and contemplate in the Trinity’s loving presence within us, and in this way to find heaven in our souls.
St. John of the Cross admonishes us to dwell “within” our souls, where the Divine Persons intimately live and reminds us that, “when we truly love someone, there is nothing we desire as much as our loved one’s intimate presence and companionship.”
St. Augustine’s words to the Lord, “I sought You outside of myself, but all the while You were within me.”
“And again he said to him: But if forty be found there, what wilt thou do? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of forty.” (Genesis 18:29)
The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
“Who could worthily praise the God of all for his marvelous long suffering and considerateness or congratulate the good man for enjoying such great confidence? ‘He continued to speak,’ the text goes on. ‘But what if only forty can be found there?’ He replied, ‘For the sake of the forty I will not destroy it.’ Then at that point the good man, while respecting God’s ineffable long suffering and being afraid of ever seeming to go too far and surpass the limit in his entreaty, said, ‘Pardon me, Lord, if I continue to speak: if only thirty can be found there?’ Since he saw God was disposed to kindness, he still did not proceed gradually with his compromise. He sought to rescue not merely five good people but ten in pursuing his request thus, ‘If only thirty can be found there?’ He replied, ‘I will not destroy it if I find thirty there.’ Consider the degree of the good man’s persistence. As though he personally were due to be liable for sentence, he takes great pains to snatch the people of Sodom from the impending punishment. He said, ‘Since I am able to speak to the Lord, what if there are only twenty there?’ He replied, ‘For the sake of the twenty I will not destroy it.’ O, the goodness of the Lord beyond all telling and all imagining! I mean, which of us living in the middle of countless evils could ever choose to exercise such wonderful considerateness and loving kindness in executing a sentence against our peers?” (4) – St. John Chrysostom
Women's Prayer Group In Christ 