Israel set out with all that was his. When he arrived at Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called, "Jacob! Jacob!" He answered, "Here I am." Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation.” (Gen 46:1-7, 28-30)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071125.cfm
The message God has for Jacob is simple: Don’t be afraid. It takes faith to step out and follow the path less traveled. It takes faith to trust that God will keep the promise come what may. Saint Benedict (480-547) had such faith. He wrote a rule for monks in community which he called a “school of the Lord’s service.” He taught hospitality as a means to holiness especially when we receive strangers as Christ. I began my journey to priestly ministry with the Benedictine monks of Saint Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama.
