From the Rule of St. Benedict (Excerpt from Chap. 61)
If a pilgrim monk coming from a distant region wants to live as a guest of the monastery, let him be received for as long a time as he desires, provided he is content with the customs of the place as he finds them and does not disturb the monastery by superfluous demands, but is simply content with what he finds. If, however, he censures or points out anything reasonably and with the humility of charity, let the Abbot consider prudently whether perhaps it was for that very purpose that the Lord sent him.
Reflection *
The striking thing about this chapter of the Rule is the possibility that God sends visitors our way for a special purpose. God may send a visitor to the monastery to give the monks a “reasonable criticism or observation,” as three men (angels?) were sent to Abraham to tell him that he and his wife Sarah would have a son. They had difficulty believing the message because of their advanced age but, in fact, it turned out to be true.
This chapter sets a standard for both visitors and their host. First, visitors must not make excessive demands, but simply be content with what they find. Second, the host’s welcome should be genuine and generous, willing to receive the guest “for as long a time as he wishes.”
I find it much easier, as a guest, to honor the first expectation than I do, as a host, to honor the second. (Really? As long a time as he wishes?) Benedict even presents the possibility that the good guest should be extended an invitation to join the community.
The Genesis story of Abraham and his visitors goes even further in describing desert hospitality: washing the guests’ feet, bringing them bread and milk, and preparing a special meal. Benedict has more to say about hospitality in chapter 53 of the Rule, where, citing Matthew 25, he reminds us that “all guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.”
* From Praying with Saint Benedict, Morehouse Publishing, 2021, p. 195-96
Improbable Benedictine 