The greeting itself, however, ought to manifest complete humility toward guests who are arriving or departing: by an inclination of the head or by a complete prostration on the ground, one must adore Christ in them, fir he is in fact the one who is received. (RB 53: 6)
Abba Apollo said with regard to hospitality for the brothers, “We must bow before the brothers who come, becasue it is not before them that we bow but before God. When you see your brother,” he said, “you see the Lord your God. We have learned this,” he said, “from Abraham [Gen 18.]. When you welcome the brothers, insist that they rest awhile, for this we have learned from Lot, who insisted that the angels do so” [Gen 19:3].
Abba Apollo, Apophthegmata Patrum, Alphabetical Collection; #3.
