Chapter 53: The reception of guests (paragraphs 5-6)
The kitchen to serve the superior together with the guests should be quite separate, so that guests, who are never lacking in a monastery, may not unsettle the community, by arriving as they do at all times of the day. (From para. 5 of Ch. 53 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
Separate kitchens are like an inner chamber and an outer chamber to my heart -- God invites me to be serenely contemplative in the inner chamber, even while being hospitable as needed in the outer chamber.
One of the striking human qualities of Christ that stands out for me is His concern for the nourishment of His guests, be they apostles or crowds. This signature aspect of Christ leads me to want to do the same--be like Christ in hospitality shown to others, and to see Christ in those being welcomed and cared for. Nourishment can be viewed as sharing the news of God's love with others through food and through meditating together. For me, prayer and meditation are the "heart's kitchen" where everything is "prepared" with Christ the "helping brother/sister" that Benedict requires for anyone working in the kitchen.
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