Kindness at the Door

The porter stands at the threshold between the monastery and the world, and Benedict wants that threshold to be marked by kindness. The first words a visitor hears should be words of gratitude to God. That tells us something important: hospitality begins before we know who the visitor is or what he wants. The stranger is received first as someone worthy of dignity.

We all have doors that others approach—our homes, our conversations, our email, our communities, even our moods. The question is whether people encounter welcome or irritation when they knock. Benedictine hospitality does not mean having no boundaries; the monastery certainly had them. It means that boundaries can be maintained without losing charity. A gentle word at the door can be a very holy thing.