St. Benedict & the Practice of Hospitality

St. Benedict’s feast day is tomorrow, 7/11 (easy to remember!). Benedict, who lived from 480 to 547, played a significant role in shaping the way monks, nuns, and religious orders live in the Western world. He also greatly shaped Western civilization in general. 

Instead of allowing culture to influence the way his monks lived, Benedict called them to have influence over culture. Benedict proposed many ideas that are not just helpful for nuns and monks; we can learn from them, too. Benedict wrote “The Rule” in which he provides instructions to live like Christ. 

Part of “The Rule” is lessons on hospitality. Hospitality, in Greek (philoxenia), means “love of strangers.” Benedict’s order, the Benedictines, are known for their practice of hospitality. For them, hospitality is a constant interior disposition of love and welcome to others with no “sign of the evil of grumbling,” (The Rule of St. Benedict, 34:6).

So, hospitality includes having a nice and comfortable environment to welcome people into, but also having a warm and engaging heart to offer. Benedict emphasized that guests and visitors are, in fact, Christ.

Like the Benedictines, we are also called to welcome and acknowledge others as Christ: “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me,’ (Matthew 25:35),” (The Rule of St. Benedict, 53:1). 

Jesus did rely on the hospitality of others: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,” (Mt 8:20). 

In biblical times, hospitality was an important virtue in the East. When traveling through the desert, travelers depended on the generosity of others for survival. In the Old Testament, it is evident that hospitality was an important practice. Take Leviticus 19:33-34 as an example: 

“You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt.”

In the New Testament Saints Peter and Paul tell us to practice hospitality: “Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality,” (Romans 12:13); “Be hospitable to one another without complaining,” (1 Peter 4:9). Jesus tells us when we have a banquet, “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed,” (Luke 14:13).

Docility is necessary when it comes to practicing hospitality. When people come our way, we must see them as sent by the Holy Spirit. We can be slow to accept people if they interrupt our day. We see them as obstacles rather than a person. These people often help us learn and grow in charity. And other people should always be viewed as “another self.” 

When we welcome people as they are, we practice hospitality. As a parish community, we can be challenged to be aware of people around us who might be new to Notre Dame or may not know other parishioners. As one of my professors put it, we should have a “preferential option of the wall flower” and seek out those who are alone at parish events and approach newcomers after Mass.  

Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).