Benedictine Hospitality is not a social event, but a holy event. “In each of us there is some inner
homelessness, some alienation from ourselves and one another which longs for a welcome. Benedict asked
his monks to become a shelter to one another, accepting each other with their differences of personality,
gifts, and physical resources. Not to extend such a welcome is to remain ‘strangers.’”
The long history of Benedictine hospitality given to the poor, to travelers and to pilgrims, is familiar, but
perhaps we do not often think of the internal hospitality practiced in regard to those with whom we live or
work. The wider community that calls for our hospitality today may, look very unlike Benedict’s pilgrims
and strangers. Among those seeking our hospitality are the poor and homeless, war-scarred veterans,
refugees and migrants. There are also guests who may not be materially poor but are spiritually starved.
Many seek peace or perhaps only an environment of quiet, simple beauty.
There exists in our society a whole “hospitality industry,” but hotels cannot offer that hospitality which is
always a gift. Often that gift involves disruption and setting aside personal agendas, but there is always the
chance that we, like Abraham, are welcoming angels unawares.
In exercising hospitality, we may often fear that what we have to give is insufficient for the situation. What
matters, though is simply whether we have anything to give. Abundance may be welcome, but it is the
sharing that counts, even when there is little.
If we find hospitality to the stranger problematic in our day, Joan Chittister, a professional sociologist,
reminds us that Benedict’s Rule was written at a time of great social migration and personal peril. Rich and
poor alike were welcomed to the safety of the monastery. They still seek havens of peace and welcome.
Joan observes, “When I let strange people and strange ideas into my heart, I am beginning to shape a new
world. Hospitality of the heart could change American domestic policies. Hospitality of the heart could
change American foreign policy… make my world a world of potential friends rather than a world of
probable enemies.”
She suggests that hospitality needs to be practiced at least once a day, or it won’t be
there for the rare occasion. Welcome a new thought! Talk to a new person! See from a new perspective
homelessness, some alienation from ourselves and one another which longs for a welcome. Benedict asked
his monks to become a shelter to one another, accepting each other with their differences of personality,
gifts, and physical resources. Not to extend such a welcome is to remain ‘strangers.’”
The long history of Benedictine hospitality given to the poor, to travelers and to pilgrims, is familiar, but
perhaps we do not often think of the internal hospitality practiced in regard to those with whom we live or
work. The wider community that calls for our hospitality today may, look very unlike Benedict’s pilgrims
and strangers. Among those seeking our hospitality are the poor and homeless, war-scarred veterans,
refugees and migrants. There are also guests who may not be materially poor but are spiritually starved.
Many seek peace or perhaps only an environment of quiet, simple beauty.
There exists in our society a whole “hospitality industry,” but hotels cannot offer that hospitality which is
always a gift. Often that gift involves disruption and setting aside personal agendas, but there is always the
chance that we, like Abraham, are welcoming angels unawares.
In exercising hospitality, we may often fear that what we have to give is insufficient for the situation. What
matters, though is simply whether we have anything to give. Abundance may be welcome, but it is the
sharing that counts, even when there is little.
If we find hospitality to the stranger problematic in our day, Joan Chittister, a professional sociologist,
reminds us that Benedict’s Rule was written at a time of great social migration and personal peril. Rich and
poor alike were welcomed to the safety of the monastery. They still seek havens of peace and welcome.
Joan observes, “When I let strange people and strange ideas into my heart, I am beginning to shape a new
world. Hospitality of the heart could change American domestic policies. Hospitality of the heart could
change American foreign policy… make my world a world of potential friends rather than a world of
probable enemies.”
She suggests that hospitality needs to be practiced at least once a day, or it won’t be
there for the rare occasion. Welcome a new thought! Talk to a new person! See from a new perspective
