In today’s world, many monasteries are renowned for offering retreats and for their gracious hospitality. Showing that kind of welcome to guests is one of the fundamental marks of a monastic community and is the theme of Chapter 53 in The Rule of Benedict. The Saint’s statements are powerful and moving. He writes:
All guests who arrive should be received as Christ, for he himself will say, I was a stranger and you took me in (RB 53:1).
The greeting itself, however, ought to manifest complete humility toward guests who are arriving or departing: by an inclination of the head or by a complete prostration on the ground, one must adore Christ in them, for he is in fact the one who is received (RB 53:6-7).
The greatest care should be exhibited in the reception of the poor and pilgrims, for Christ is more especially received in them; for the very fear of the rich wins them respect (RB 53:15).
Even with my ears partially plugged by my stubbornness and my dislike for disruptions, I can hear Saint Benedict’s message clearly in this chapter. For me to live by the spirit of his Rule is to recognize that times for offering hospitality are times for honoring Christ, as “one must adore Christ in them, for he is in fact the one who is received.” This is one of the greater spiritual challenges I face.
As I ruminate over why this might be a challenge, I’m drawn to a few possibilities. One is that I have a dislike for disruption and disorder, which can certainly take place when guests come. But the Benedictine quality of hospitality critiques this, saying that the higher purpose in life is to welcome the gift of the guest because Christ abides in him or her. The second is that I do not like surrendering control of my life to others, but the Benedictine quality of obedience again offers a critique, challenging me to recognize that it is God—and not I—who controls my life. A third is that I am afraid of what might happen to me if I “let” the living Christ run loose in my life. But once again, the Benedictine quality of stability says that the dependable ground of my life lies in my relationships with God and the community and not in the illusory immutability that I believe my self-mastery brings.
On the one hand, these feel like high hurdles for me to surmount. But on the other hand, I can trust that God will grant me the grace to open myself to the possibilities of a living encounter with his Son as he comes hidden deep within the people who come and go in my life. It helps that Father Terrence Kardong’s commentary points out the echoes in this chapter of the account of the Lord’s visit to Abraham and Sarah under the oaks of Mamre:
The LORD appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring you a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said” (Genesis 18:1-5, NRSV).
Ut in Omnibus Glorificetur Deus.