Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot

 Lectionary: 386

Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.

I have often used today's reading from the Gospel of Saint Matthew when I bless a house. Although the passage addresses itinerant missionaries, it concerns those who receive them also, as their homes are blessed by those who visit. 

Blessings are necessarily dialectic, dualistic, or double; they cannot exist without a party to give them and another party to receive them.

Saint Benedict recognized the blessings and responsibilities that come with home ownership when he erected his monasteries. He insisted that his monks should practice hospitality, welcoming strangers and wayfarers. When medieval Europe was a continent of warring mini-kingdoms -- many no bigger than a Kentucky county -- ruled by illiterate despots with a few ruffians the monasteries provided safe refuge for pilgrims, migrants, and displaced wanderers. 

They were also places of prayer, learning, and healing. Wiser aristocrats sent their youth to these hostels to learn literacy, manners, and civility. They learned to wash their hands before eating, and to eat with their mouths closed. I read somewhere that monks developed chairs for sitting during their meals. Students learned to appreciate literacy as one member would read during the meals while the others listened. 

And, of course, monks treasured the Word of God, for the peaceful love of God lived in their monasteries despite the horrors that occasionally swept the countryside. Although mendicant friars like Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustians, and Carmelits are known for their missionary efforts, it was the monks who civilized Europe on their way to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. 

Christians and Catholics who remember the Lord's self-description -- "Foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." -- create safe homes for wayfarers, neighborhoods, burroughs, and cities. Their presence is invaluable as they seek the common good for everyone, regardless of race, religion, or nationality. They are salt for the earth, and a light in darkness.