This last quotation is a famous passage from the Rule of St. Benedict about the Reception of Guests:
“All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt 25:35). Proper honor must be shown to all, especially to those who share the faith (Gal 6:10) and to pilgrims.
Once a guess has been announced, the superior and the brothers are to meet him with all the courtesy of love. First of all, they are to pray together and thus be united in peace, but prayer must always precede the kiss of peace because of the delusions of the devil.
All humility should be shown in addressing a guest on arrival or departure. By a bow of the head or by complete prostration of the body, Christ is to be adored because he is indeed welcomed in them. After the guests have been received, they should be invited to pray; then the superior or an appointed brother will sit with them. The divine law is read to the guest for his instruction, and after that every kindness is shown to him. The superior may break his fast for the sake of the guest, unless it is a day of special fast which cannot be broken. The brothers, however, observe the usual fast. The abbot shall pour water on the hands of the guests, and the abbot with the entire community shall wash their feet. After the washing they will recite this verse: God, we have received your mercy in the midst of your temple (Ps 47[48]:10).
Great care and concern are to be shown in receiving the poor people and pilgrims, because in them more particularly Christ is received; our very awe of the rich guarantees them special respect.
The kitchen for the abbot and guests ought to be separate, so that guests – and monasteries are never without them – need not disturb the brothers when they present themselves at unpredictable hours. Each year, two brothers who can do the work competently are to be assigned to this kitchen. Additional help should be available when needed so that they can perform this service without grumbling. On the other hand, when the work slackens, they are to go wherever other duties are assigned them. This consideration is not for them alone, but applies to all duties in the monastery; the brothers are to be given help when it is needed, and whenever they are free, they work wherever they are assigned.
The guest quarters are to be entrusted to a God-fearing brother. Adequate bedding should be available there. The house of God should be in the care of wise men who will manage it wisely.
No one is to speak or associate with guests unless he is bidden; however, if a brother meets or sees a guest, he is to greet him humbly, as we have said. He asks for a blessing and continues on his way, explaining that he is not allowed to speak with a guest.”
Guests were to be received as if they were Christ himself. Hospitality was (and is) core to Christian monasticism, and as this passage says: “monasteries are never without [guests].” I was once shown hospitality as I was traveling in Colorado by the monastery associated with Thomas Keating with a stay in a hermitage free of charge. There was something about even just being on the premises of the monastery that was edifying to me.
The Rule of St. Benedict has had a tremendous impact on Christian monasticism and is still used to inform how these communities are structured today.