Chapter 61: Monastic pilgrims from far away (paragraphs 2-3)

But if no such negative signs are apparent it may be right to go further and not wait for a request to be accepted in the community. It may even be right to persuade such a one to stay so that others may benefit and learn from such example. (From para. 2 of Ch. 61 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

For me, community means understanding that God has brought me together with others. In the light of meditation, these relationships offer a way through personal dividedness and into harmony. Even when relationships falter, the Spirit is still present in the redemptive value of experience.