Pope Francis and PRAYER

"For me praying is in a certain way an experience of trust in which our whole being is in the presence of God. This is where dialogue, listening, and transformation occur. Looking at God, but above all sensing that we are being watched by Him. This happens, in my case, when I recite the Rosary or the psalms or when I celebrate the Eucharist. However, I would say that I have this religious experience whenever I start to pray for an extended time in front of the tabernacle. Sometimes I doze while remaining seated and just let Him look at me. I have the sense of being in someone else's hands, as though God were taking me by the hand. I believe that it is important to arrive at the transcendent otherness of the Lord, who is the Lord of all yet always respects our freedom."

- Pope Francis (then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio in the book-length interview El Jesuita by Sergio Rubin and Francesca Ambrogetti)