The Daily Prayer
WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2020
Rahab
Rahab’s story is found in the book of Joshua. Rahab was a prostitute who hid Hebrew spies in her home while they were on a reconnaissance mission in Jericho. Fearing the God of Israel more than her own king, Rahab agreed to help the spies if they would protect her and her family when God delivered her city to them. Though she is an unlikely saint, Rahab is remembered by the authors of Matthew, Hebrews, and James as a faithful witness and an ancestor of Jesus. Her story is a reminder that sinners make the best saints in God’s story.
In his Rule for monastic community, Benedict of Nursia wrote, “Any guest who happens to arrive at the monastery should be received just as we would receive Christ himself because he promised that on the last day he will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Proper respect should be shown to everyone while a special welcome is reserved for those who are of the household of our Christian faith and for pilgrims. As soon as the arrival of a guest is announced, the superior and members of the community should hurry to offer a welcome with warm-hearted courtesy. First of all, they should pray together so as to seal their encounter in the peace of Christ. Prayer should come first and then the kiss of peace, so to evade any delusions which the devil may contrive.”
Lord, you receive all of us sinners, asking only that we turn from death toward life. Today we choose life wherever we find a stranger and welcome her. Amen.
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