Benoît de Nursie
480-547 6th century Feast day: July 11
“Some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Benedict made it a rule: every guest who arrives is received as Christ himself. We never welcome only the person we think we see, which is why hospitality is an act of faith before it is a courtesy.
Who was Benoît de Nursie?
Italian monk, founder of Western monasticism. Born in Nursia, Umbria, he founded the Abbey of Monte Cassino in the 6th century and wrote the Rule that shaped European monastic life for fifteen centuries. His Rule, brief and precise, balances prayer and work (ora et labora). Its chapter 53 on hospitality shaped all monastic culture of welcome, and with it, part of European culture.
In their own words
All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.