Chapter 53: The reception of guests (paragraphs 1-4)
Any guest who happens to arrive at the monastery should be received just as we would receive Christ himself, because he promised that on the last day he will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
(From para. 1 of Chap. 53 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry OSB, 1997)
Some strangers are easier for me to welcome than others. For example, those with whom I share simple and uncomplicated relationships are often no problem for me to engage with. However, those with whom I share more complicated relationships may put me on the defensive. Then, instead of recognizing the stranger that is Christ, what I see are my own psychic projections generated by fear. Gratefully, I've experienced how meditation gradually dissolves the layers of defensiveness and releases the peace of authentic relationship.
The monastic community was a stationary place. Guests presented themselves there. They were greeted and welcomed. We are people always on the move or mostly. In our cars, shopping, working, attending churches, meetings, traveling. My monastic community is not even here. I am not however alone nor am I exempt from showing hospitality wherever I am. My heart is the community where Christ dwells and which is always with me. Whomever I meet whether in the check-out line, in the office, in the Parish, I must show proper honor. It is not easy with all those we meet. My reactions give me away--either I am aware of Christ's presence and possibilities, or I am not. The mantra is my key of awareness.
ReplyDelete