God, I only came today to be with you.

Walk past the church while you're going somewhere else. The door's open. You still have something to do, but come in this time. Sit down, put your bag down, look in front of you. No terrible news, no decision to make at that time. You're there because you wanted to be there.

Maybe it seems weird to you. In prayer you are used to remembering who is ill, to ask for a helping hand for work, to entrust a concern. Today those people stay in your heart, but the first thing you want to say to Jesus is easier: I came to stay with you.

It can be a very intimate moment. Like when you meet someone you love and you don't need to fill every break right away. Your presence is good for you. And you begin to understand that prayer is also a relationship, capable of accepting requests and also this free desire to meet.

A few minutes when you don't have to bring a solution

All day long, pick it up, set it up, choose. Someone asks you for information, a message is waiting for confirmation, one thing remains to be settled. Even when you finally stop, you can continue that need to do something that justifies your time.

You might notice the same habit in church. Look for the right prayer, check how many minutes you have at your disposal, think about what you should feel. You can try to put this rush on, too. Make the sign of the cross, address to Jesus a greeting, stay a little.

If a Gospel sentence accompanies you, you can take it back. If you wish to say thank you, you can do so. There is no need to pursue a particular mood. You could go out with the same day in front of you and an appointment kept inside: for a moment you turned to him.

What does it mean to contemplate?

In the general audience of 5 May 2021, Pope Francis spoke of contemplative prayer as a relationship of faith and love. Resuming the Catechism, at number 2715, he recalled the story of the farmer of Ars before the Tabernacle: "I look at him and he looks at me."

The heart of that image is a look at Jesus. In the Catholic faith, the Eucharist kept in the tabernacle is its sacramental presence. Stopping there can be an act of worship, even very simple: recognizing before who we are and offering him a little of our time.

You can listen to his Word, speak to him and leave a little room for silence. Perhaps today prayer means staying, with what you feel and what is difficult to feel.

Silence must not succeed you perfectly

You sit down and you'll remember the shopping list. Then a conversation yesterday, the noise of the road, the doubt of having left something incomplete. You could get nervous just as you were looking for recollection. It happens: you have arrived with your life, and your life is still with you.

You can start over from a small gesture. Look again at the tabernacle, repeat the name of Jesus, read some lines. If you don't find a complete inner silence, you can still be present at this encounter attempt. A distraction does not determine how much you love God.

The location must also be possible for your body. You can sit down if you need it. Those who experience physical fatigue must not show devotion through pain. Recollection can begin with the real conditions in which you arrived, with your strength today.

You can go to him even when you're happy

Maybe you just got some good news. You're feeling light, you're still smiling, you don't know who to tell. You can also share this with Jesus. A visit can become the way to bring him your happiness and recognize the good received.

The relationship with God includes lamentation, supplication, gratitude and praise. You don't have to wait to find yourself in trouble to find him. You can stop on a normal day, at a nice time, while a desire begins to take shape or simply because you missed that time.

And if you don't feel anything special today, you can tell him that too. The familiarity often grows through unspectacular gestures: return, healthy, listen. Some meetings we understand only after, when we realize that they have found a place in the week.

When the door is closed

Not all churches are accessible at the time you pass. You could be at home, at work, or unable to get out. You can also pray there, turn to Christ and open the Gospel. The visit before the Eucharist has a specific meaning; your desire to meet the Lord can also express yourself in other places of life.

You can choose a short and possible time. Put the phone down, find a comfortable position, entrust to God what you are living. Without making this break a new performance to judge at the end of the day. It is offered time, within a greater path.

When you get out, maybe it'll all start again from where you left it. The road, the schedule, someone calling you. You can cross them with a simple phrase: today I was with Jesus. Even if no one noticed and there is nothing to tell, that meeting was yours.