To be in prayer does not mean saying words, words, no: Being in prayer means opening my heart to Jesus, drawing close to Jesus, allowing Jesus to enter into my heart.
Knowing how to find God's voice inside of us is not easy, Pope Francis acknowledged at the Wednesday general audience of September 28, but familiarity with God is the key to becoming more receptive.
The Pope compared this familiarity with Jesus gleaned from time spent together to the experience of an old married couple:
"It is said that two spouses who have lived together for so long, loving each other, end up resembling each other. Something similar can be said about affective prayer," he said. Gradually but effectively, we are more and more similar to God, able to judge as he does, and discern his will.
How to get there
To illustrate how to arrive to this familiarity and friendship with Jesus, the Pope shared the story of an old acquaintance:
