St. Francis spoke with our Lord endlessly. He reported to Him as a Judge, begged Him, the Father, confided in Him as a Friend, played with Him as a Spouse.  He developped a deep relationship with our Lord, offering Him all of his heart, so as to contemplate all of the facets of He who is One and Only. Often when praying, only his soul spoke. All of his faculties of attention seemed to be focused entirely on celestial realities.
His heart propelled him into complete devotion to remain " in the house of Yahweh all the days of his life", the only grace he demanded was to " not be a man that prayed but a prayer made man (personified)".

Francis's 2nd Life by Thomas de Celano

Meditation :

Francis, seduced by God, wanted to meet Him in order to contemplate LOVE that is God, the love of a Friend, the love of a Spouse, of a Mother... Francis sought to respond to this LOVE by abandoning himself into a relationship of complete trust.

Francis shows us a way to pray:  take time for God and ask nothing in return, just be with Him, and recognise that "HE is the only Almighty". Rejoice that God is God, listen to Him and focus completely on Him.

Praying can be achieved by 'looking' at a bibical scene with the eyes of our heart,  by repeating a word or a sentence of the Gospel, a Psalm, or a prayer that tells us "who is God". Offer up this time freely, without counting, as you would do for a friend. Be interested in Him and who He is. Speaking isn't the objective, just BE there, available. Turn towards God rather than towards yourself, willing to "be modelled by the Spirit of the Lord", as Francis recommended to his brothers. Little by little God will transform your life, your way of being, how you act, and how you form a relationship with others.

Sister Brigitte Pollet, Franciscan Oblate of the Sacred Heart - Nantes

Resolution for the Day

Throughout the day, every time I begin a new activity, I take the time to confide my activity in the Lord and ask Him what He would do. Ask and you will receive.

Prayer Intention

Lord, help us to be perseverant in prayer, especially when we feel distant and find it impossible to pray. Through you may our prayer become fruitful. Lord, we pray particularly for those who never pray.