Seek the Sacred Amidst the Ordinary

It’s hot and humid this morning, the sort of August day to be expected in Virginia. Today would be a perfect day to relax by the pool, able to take a dip when the heat becomes oppressive. So I was drawn to this photo taken by my friend Melissa. An unexpected visitor was floating along in their new pool. At first I wondered if this little creature was a toad, rather than a frog. The body is brown, rather than green, and I wasn’t sure where a little frog would live in their yard, other than the pool. Yet he is a frog, with the characteristic outstretched feet that alternately secure him to a resting spot and help launch him as he leaps. Greeting visitors is often like my uncertainty about this little frog. We may not know who we are encountering, or how that person may affect us. A chance meeting can begin a new friendship, or teach us a lesson we never would have sought out alone. For over 1500 years, Benedictine monasteries have opened their doors to strangers, both physically and spiritually. St Benedictine instructed his monks to welcome all guests who presented themselves as Christ, for he himself would say, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me”, Matthew 25:36. In Paul’s letters to the Hebrews, we are reminded to “Forget not to show love to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”, Hebrews 13:2. What we thought was a toad, might really be a frog, or an angel , or Christ himself. Our world has changed in many ways, and guests seldom arrive at our doorstep without calling first. Yet this idea of hospitality is something we can carry with us throughout the day. Take time today to welcome someone into your office, or pause to say a silent prayer for someone in the doctor’s waiting room, or in line at the grocery store. Greet whoever you encounter as if Christ himself was before you. Treat one another as God treats each of us, for we are all children of the Most High. Photo by LadyBug Crossing