Slides from meeting of the Benedictine Oblates of St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth, Minnesota in February 2018. Review of previous topic - Becoming Encouragers - followed by slides for new topic, Authentic Hospitality.

1. Authentic
Hospitality
Sister Edith Bogue
Duluth Benedictine Oblates
11 February 2018

2. Becoming
Encouragers
Reflections on the January 2018
topic and your experience since.

3. Encourage – to add heart to a
person.
Discourage – to suck the heart
out of a person.
Parakaleo parakaleo
1. To call to one' s side, call for, summon
2. To address, speak to, (call to, call
upon), which may be done in the way
of exhortation, entreaty, comfort,
instruction, etc. Barnabas – Son of Encouragement

4. For February
•Listen/watch for encouragement in
Scripture: the Gospel message.
•Take note of times when you have
the experience of being encouraged.
•Look for opportunities to give a little
encouragement. Try. What happens?
•Take note of times when you see or
experience discouragement.
•Pray for the gift of encouragement
for yourself and others.

5. Hospitality

6. Authentic
and
Artificial
Hospitality

7. AUTHENTIC
•Person-to-person
•Abraham, Sarai and the 3 visitors
•Rahab and the visitors
•Elijah and the widow
•Mary and Martha
•Disciples on the road to Emmaus
•The host reveals her/himself
•The guest reveals her/his need
•The host and the guest truly
see each other.

8. ARTIFICIAL
•Person-to-person
•Delilah and Samson
•Jezebel’s dinner party
•King Herod and the Magi
•Pharisees who hosted Jesus
•The host presents an image
•The guest’s needs are presumed.
•The host’s needs are important.
•The host and guest have a
contract or even a deception.

9. MIXTURES
•Authentic hospitality does recognize
host’s needs as well as the guest’s.
•We are human beings: motives are
almost certain to be mixed.
•Not all guests are “worthy” of true
hospitality. Dishonest, troublesome.

10. BENEDICTINE
Chapter 53
•Not a human, but a supernatural
encounter with Christ.
•Begins in prayer & scripture.
•Recognition of differences of wealth,
with attention to poor & pilgrims.
•Maintain focus on seeking Christ.

11. BENEDICTINE
Chapter 53 (cont.)
•Abbot / Prioress eats and converses
with the guests; also a guestmaster.
•Care for basic needs: food, shelter.
•Monastic life and practices continue.
(Abbot Lawrence’s lament!)
•Concern for those who care for
guests: help when the work is hard.

12. Hospitality
to what
purpose?

13. FOR MONASTIC
AND GUEST
•Authentic vs artificial differ by the
primary purpose for each.
•For St. Benedict, purpose is not only
the guest but the spiritual well-being
of the monk.

14. BENEDICTINE
Chapter 61
•Consider also the guest’s purpose.
•Benedict describes visiting monks,
and their reasons for arriving.
•Seeing the hand of God in the arrival
of a particular guest.
•Robust pragmatism: hospitality has
its limits.

15. Learning the
Practice of
Hospitality

16. BODILY
•Provision for food and rest
•Quiet and privacy
•Companionship
• Travel may be for spiritual reasons –
seek the Abbot/Prioress’ counsel.
• Travel may be for difficulty: consolation.
•Simple and unobtrusive

17. SPIRITUAL
•The host quietly “reads” the guest
•Abbot Lawrence wonders what
scripture passage is read to the guest.
Maybe different ones?
•Mutual impact of the visit
•For the guest / pilgrim
•For the monks

18. MUTUALITY
•For the monastic: Christ has come to
my home, what a blessing!
•For the guest: I see Christian life lived
here, what a blessing!
•Poor hospitality has mutual effects.
•Disappointment / complaining
•Gossip and poor reputation
•Self-righteousness

19. FOR MARCH
•Observe your hospitality. When is it
authentic? When is it artificial?
•Who is it easy to receive, and who is
difficult? How can I see Christ in all?
•What new practice or attitude of
hospitality did you try? How did it go?
•What experience of receiving
hospitality touched you, and why?

20. DISCUSSION

21. Authentic
Hospitality
Sister Edith Bogue
Duluth Benedictine Oblates
11 February 2018