The Salesian perspective on prayer is attention to the presence of God. St. Francis writes, “Wherever we are, we find God present, but we do not think of it. So we must challenge our soul to an attentive consideration of His presence.”
St. Francis counsels us to prepare for prayer by “bringing our souls into our hearts” as we enter into ourselves and place ourselves in God’s presence. Then our prayer or our time with God is one of receiving whatever God wishes to be to us. We may experience peace or rest or encouragement, or we may not be able to define what we experience, for God’s presence is not necessarily one of feeling but one of faith.
There is no way to measure or feel God, but where God is, there is the Spirit of peace. St. Francis urged the Sisters of the Visitation to focus on God every 15 minutes when the clock stikes. Later he writes, “Practice this 100 times a day”. Finally, toward the end of his life, St. Francis encouraged himself and others to live constantly n the presence of God. Since God delights in being with us, to come into God’s presence is freely to allow God to pour divine presence into our hearts.
God's Presence in all things