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. Although these relationships may, at times, be frustrating or baffling to me, God is among us, in the potential for authentic relationships. And even if those relationships should fail, God is still always present in the potential for finding the redemptive value of experience.