Enclosed in the Love of God

•Let a fast place, with one door, enclose thee.

Whether you live in common or alone, let it be holy ground which is secure, enabling you to live this life enclosed in the Love of God.

Reflection: I hardly ever know what to write about this point of the Rule.  I live in an intentional community.  I do have my private room, but for me the whole property is a holy place, enclosed in the Love of God.  

I think this rule may reflect the way of life of the time it was written, when many people lived in one room, sometimes even with the critters inside, where it would be difficult to find alone time, which is essential for building up the one-to-one relationship with God.  Even today, there are houses crammed with families who cannot afford to live alone.  In that situation, it would be very difficult to live at peace unless one had many years of practice of enclosure of the heart.  It makes me deeply grateful for both the privacy I enjoy and the fact that I live with like-minded people.