Hospitality*
Holy Presence of God,
you shimmer in every stranger I encounter
whether in the world or in my heart.
When you came in human form
you sat at table with all those who walked the edges
of life and knew their presence as sacred.
Create in me a space to welcome in
all that is hard and disorienting,
those moments when I feel lost, angry,
heartbroken, overwhelmed, ashamed,
joyful, grieving, or in love with life.
Help me to honor the guests who arrive at the door,
to usher in the grace that newness offers
and find Christ’s compassionate presence there.
May your infinite compassion grow in me
the way sunlight spills across a field,
and include everyone in that loving embrace.
Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims,
Tomorrow, November 4th, I will be joined by Simon de Voil and our guest musician Dena Jennings for this month’s Contemplative Prayer Service. This year we are exploring the principles of the Monk Manifesto. Our theme for tomorrow is hospitality.
Here is an excerpt on hospitality from our Monk in the World self-study program.
Monk Manifesto Principle 2: Hospitality
I commit to radical acts of hospitality by welcoming the stranger both without and within. I recognize that when I make space inside my heart for the unclaimed parts of myself, I cultivate compassion and the ability to accept those places in others.
All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for him himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
-Rule of St. Benedict 53:1
This is one of my favorite lines from Benedict’s Rule. He is saying that which feels most strange, makes us the most uncomfortable, or that which I most want to reject, is the very place of encounter with the divine.
I also believe that Benedict meant to extend this hospitality within ourselves and seek out the stranger who knocks within on our hearts – the parts of ourselves that have been neglected or shut out. This inner and outer act of hospitality are intimately connected.
As we grow in compassion for the places within which challenge us, we can extend that compassion toward others. The more we grow intimate with our own places of weakness or unlived longings, the more we can accept these in others.
Sadly, many churches have used religion as a way of excluding those they don’t identify with or feel fearful of. Rejecting the stranger is completely counter to the contemplative way. James Baldwin wrote that “If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving.” The path of deepened intimacy with the divine leads us to more compassion and more inclusivity, never less.
We are also pleased to release the video podcasts for Day 4 of our Love of Thousands Prayer Cycle. November is a month dedicated to honoring our ancestors and ancestral wisdom. The theme for morning prayer is Blessings of Our Ancestors and evening prayer is Healing the Wounds of Generations. Working with our ancestral legacies is a way to deepen our intimacy with the divine and offer hospitality to ourselves and all who have come before.
Join us tomorrow, November 4th , for our Contemplative Prayer Service honoring the gifts of hospitality.
With great and growing love,
Christine
Christine Valters Paintner, OblSB, PhD, REACE
*Blessing written by Christine for a book of blessings (due to be published in spring 2026)
