The Holy Father reminds us in #148 that we should try to remain in the presence of God. He quotes St. John of the Cross and says that we need to always go to God "whether you eat, drink, talk with others, or do anything, always go to God..."
149. "For this to happen, however, some moments spent alone with God are also necessary. For Saint Teresa of Avila, prayer 'is nothing but friendly intercourse, and frequent solitary converse with him who we know loves us.' I would insist that this is true not only for a privileged few, but for all of us, for 'we all have need of this silence, filled with the presence of him who is adored.' Trust-filled prayer is a response of a heart open to encountering God face to face, where all is peaceful and the quiet voice of the Lord can be heard in the midst of silence.
150. "In that silence, we can discern, in the light of the Spirit, the paths of holiness to which the Lord is calling us. Otherwise, any decisions we make may only be window-dressing that, rather than exalting the Gospel in our lives, will mask or submerge it. For each disciple, it is essential to spend time with the Master, to listen to his words, and to learn from him always. Unless we listen, all our words will be nothing but useless chatter."
One of our Chapter calls is to create silence. Interior silence leads us deeper into contemplation.
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