“Maybe Jesus came by…”

Hospitality is a wonderful facet of Benedictine life (and we’ve had the honor of doing a lot of it lately!). Most Benedictine monasteries are marked by an accompanying guesthouse to fulfill this “mini-apostolate” within our contemplative vocation. St. Benedict encourages us in his Rule to “welcome guests as Christ” (RB 53.1), and St. Paul also says: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it!”

Recently we had a lovely group of nine young women from western Massachusetts stay with us for a retreat of prayer and fellowship, and also to take part in our liturgy, meals and monastic work. The souls that come to the monastery seeking God and a better understanding of our vocation are a great gift, and the sisters are always enriched by their presence. During this season of Lent, it is a wonderful way to “give alms” for those of us who have taken vows of poverty, by giving our time and solicitous hospitality to our guests. After all, as Bl. Pier Georgio Frassati (whose biography we’ve been reading in the refectory) said when a poor man came to the door of his family home: “Maybe Jesus came by…”