Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 6412 WWW.AGRM.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2017 In the time of St. Benedict, 15 centuries ago, monasteries were small—housing only about a dozen monks. They lived and learned together like a large, Christian family. There, Benedict wrote a short document called The Rule of St. Benedict, which has shaped much of Western monasticism. “St. Benedict seems to have expected that many different people would come to the monastery,” writes Aaron Raverty of the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University. “He even placed a porter at the monastery’s entrance to make sure that visitors would always be recognized and greeted. St. Benedict took special care that the poor be noticed as guests.” In chapter 66 of The Rule, Benedict writes, “As soon as anyone knocks, or a poor man calls out, he [the porter] replies, ‘Thanks be to God’ or ‘Your blessing, please’; then, with all the gentleness that comes from the fear of God, he provides a prompt answer with the warmth of love.” “Hospitality is at the center of what it means to be a monk. But Benedict didn’t come up with the idea,” writes Lonni Collins Pratt in her book Radical Hospitality: Benedict’s Way of Love. “The Rule is based on the teachings of Jesus. Jesus. Not a new improved guru for the new millennium but the same old Jesus that the Church has tried to follow for two thousand years.” Benedict especially emphasized the importance of welcoming the poor and the outsiders. “Benedict understood that guests are crucial to the making of a monk… Guests are crucial to the making of any heart,” Pratt says. “At the monastery everyone is a guest, not just the visitor at the door, but the monks themselves. God is the host, but God also becomes the guest we receive in others.” Everyone Is a Guest St. Benedict’s ancient practices remain applicable today