August 4

Chapter 53 pt. 1

The Rule of Benedict August 4

In order for one to serve as a host to a guest, one must be clearly in one's own home, in some significant sense.  Think of yourself attending a party at a house you've never been to before, the host is far from the front door, and the doorbell rings.  When you take it upon yourself to answer the door, you answer as a fellow guest, not as a host.

If we, as a community, are to practice Benedictine hospitality in any meaningful way, we must do so with a clear sense of being at home.  This sense is arrived at by the cultivation of a clear identity as a community.  And as a vowed Benedictine community, our identity is defined by the Rule and our common prayers.  Our ability to be truly hospitable will flourish as we move toward clarity of structure and practice in our life together.