Still reflecting on the values and practises which were highlighted during my recent visit to the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel in France. I loved all of them, but these two (prayer and hospitality/welcome) are straight out of the OMS playbook.
In our Order we often talk about ideas like breathing in / breathing out, walking on both legs, or even aposto-monasticism to describe the combination of contemplative and missional expressions which the OMS rule encourages. Most of us are wired one way or the other, and for the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem on Mont Saint-Michel their call is to prayer and contemplation first, yet to do so in a way that is accessible and visible to the world.
Living in a world heritage site which is visited by thousands of tourists daily must make both feel like a challenge. To focus whole-heartedly on prayer in the middle of a goldfish bowl is tough, and to offer meaningful hospitality amongst milling crowds is an exercise in spiritual discernment. Their version of this challenge is pretty extreme, but it is one that we all experience in some form or another. To remain focussed on Christ in the midst of distraction and to live a practise of hospitality when surrounded by overwhelming need and opportunity is something that every OMS member grapples with.
The information board offers the following insight:
“To welcome the stranger or the pilgrim is to receive God himself. This hospitality begins with an inner attitude: silencing oneself and listening before speaking, to offer a true availability of heart. To open up to one’s neighbor in this way is to become the reflection of the Father’s unconditional love.”
Nailed it. Breathe in, breathe out. Let the two practises flow as one. Offer hospitality as an overflow of your life of prayer, and let prayer and the contemplation of Christ continue in and through your hospitality. Maybe we need one of those boards in our house… perhaps next to the front door?