•Be alone in a separate place near a chief city, if
thy conscience is not prepared to be in common with the crowd.
Whether in a city or not, choose a solitary place,
physical or mental and pray. Do not neglect the masses. Serve them
with corporeal and spiritual works of mercy.
Reflection:
I do a lot of praying staring out the dining room window at
the back yard, full of trees and sometimes deer and birds, and always full of
God’s beauty, whether full of sunlight or snow.
I also pray alone in my room. For
many years, while I was working and raising a family, I prayed mostly on the
bus during my commute, or in the bathroom!
It is important to note that our Rule reminds us we are here
to serve, and not just for ourselves. It
took me a lot of years to realize that I serve God every time I give someone a
hug or a smile, or do a good thing of any kind.
Usually, we are called not to great things, but to small things done
with great love and generosity.
You hit on the important aspect of spiritual transformation, imo, and that is mindfulness. Maintaining mindfulness of our thoughts, words, and actions makes each moment a prayer, going along well with our friend, St Paul (pray constantly). I think what our Rule helps me to do is develop a deeper sense of what's going on within and without. Different than the hyper-vigilance that has plagued most of my life, it transforms that burden into a holy awareness that I am not "on guard" alone, but am always in the presence of the One Who loves me infinitely. So, I can relax while being aware, and know, as you said, that serving God is in the everyday loving as well as in the heroic acts. Without the time and place of quiet within, and physically in our home and schedule it is easy to forget the Reality in which we live, move, and have our being!
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