My name is Magalie. I am married and a mother of four children. I work as a human resource manager. So I have a busy life, dealing with my job, my family life and my responsibilities. Yet, amidst my daily activities, I have discovered a peaceful place which I was not suspecting – prayer.
As she was expecting her fourth child and was faced to the death of a member of her family, Magalie felt drawn to to come and worship Jesus, finding strength and comfort near Him. Although she thought it would be a mere spiritual exercise, she experienced a life-changing encounter with a secret Friend, who had nonetheless been present forever.
My discovery of prayer
I would often hear about oraison [silent prayer] but I did not quite know what it was One day, I had the grace to have a priest who explained to me how this kind of prayer should be practiced. He suggested an image which struck me: “You shut your eyes, you quietly go down twelve steps, you open a door. This door opens on a place that is only yours – an inner sanctum. That sanctum is a space that belongs to you, everyone has got one, and it is solely for your encounters with the Lord.
It is a place of freedom: you go only there with a longing to make yourself available to God, to be near Him. Everyone has their own inner sanctum. I would not describe mine to you: sometimes it is untidy, sometimes it is neater, it depends on the days. But it is always a privileged place with the Lord.
That’s the way I came to prayer, not really understanding how nor why. What I can say though is that that first time, that inner disposition, is what triggered it all.
Prayer, a growing relationship
When you start praying like this, you feel like going further. You also learn to pray with the saints. For example, I didn’t know Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus before. You discover their presence and their help through encounters – which are never accidental. I believe this is also the work of the Holy Spirit.
I remember saying to the priest who presented me with that image of the garden, “It’s easy, I’m already doing it.” At one time, when I was far from the Church, I used to do a lot of sport. Before each competition, I would put myself in an inner state of concentration, of confidence, where I emptied my mind. In a way, it was a form of prayer. I didn’t realize it then, but in reality, the Lord was already there. He always has been. We just don’t necessarily know how to see Him.
Why, suddenly, do we become aware of Him? I can’t say. These are the mysteries of faith, the graces we are given.
“I believe that praying is learning to love. It is not necessarily about feeling something, or getting clear answers. It is simply being there, in faithfulness.”
A continuous presence
In fact, praying is to live with the Lord. It means realizing that He is always there, and that we are one with Him. Perhaps this thirst for oneness is in itself a form of prayer.
Looking back over my life, I realize that God had been in it for a long time – in my childhood, with my grandmother, with whom I prayed the rosary, and also when I met my husband – in many key moments in fact. All I had to do was open the door to Him a little.
Is it prayer that leads to faith, or faith that leads to prayer? I don’t know. But what I do know is that it is worth giving Him a little time.
A life-changing encounter
I had the grace to feel the Lord’s presence a few years ago, thanks to my family who brought me closer to the Church. Perhaps I made room for Him without realizing it. Since then, He’s been with me, in my prayer times, in my everyday life. It’s a real encounter. He came to me.
Today, I think it’s a matter of trusting Him. He is with me. Every day.
Prayer in everyday life
In practical terms, every morning after getting up, I read the Word of God and entrust my day to Jesus, to Mary. She’s simple, she’s close, and she helps me to be a good mother, a good wife, to do what the Lord asks of me, in times of happiness as well as in tricky ones.
I also often pray the rosary. It’s a way of entrusting my intentions to Mary, because directing them directly to Jesus is sometimes more difficult. Mary knows how to walk the path with me, take my hand and comfort me. She brings my prayers to Jesus. There’s no better way than going through her I think.
Also, in my daily activities, when I have to facilitate a meeting, or when I come back home exhausted and find my children full of energy, I entrust those moments to the Holy Spirit or to Saint Joseph. I ask them to help me navigate those times and be a good handmaid.
Comforting times
There are also times of deeper silent prayer. I could not tell exactly how I do it, but they are times of oneness and love with Jesus, getting comfort from Him. My encounter with Him has not changed my life but it has transformed the way I experience it.
I’m still Magalie – a wife, a mom, a skilled professional. That’s what prayer is: it doesn’t transform who you are, but the way you live.
Let yourself go with the flow
You cannot explain an encounter with Jesus. You have to let yourself go with the flow of that mystery. An act of faith is just that – accepting that it is beyond our understanding.
I sometimes make appointments with God, as one does in a diary. Going to church, sit before the Blessed Sacrament, is like looking for an encounter. Sometimes you feel something. Sometimes you don’t. Then there’s the silence. And that silence makes you grow in faith.
Prayer is a presence
When my mother died, we could no longer interact with each other. Yet I was there, with her, with the Blessed Mother too. In trust. I believe the Lord was also present, even without words. In prayer, it is the same: sometimes you feel nothing, you wonder what you are doing there. However, He is there, only requesting us to be present.
Getting organized and being faithful
Yes, at first, you may find prayer demanding. You have to get up a little earlier, go to bed a little later. But it helps you go about your life better. A woman friend said to me one day: “Prayer is simple. Make an appointment. And then, let yourself go.”
Many forms of prayer
I recite the rosary, often while walking my dog. It’s a dedicated moment for me, a moment of trust. I pray to Saint Joseph, a role model of discretion, for my family and its unity. I also pray to the Holy Spirit, especially since I received confirmation two years ago. He is the Lord’s presence in our daily lives.
In meetings, in interviews, even in this interview, I ask Him to help me find the right words. The Holy Spirit is there at every moment.
Inspired by
Saint Theresa
As I was in my fortieth year, I went through a conversion. I went to a retreat in Mont Saint-Michel with other families and we stopped in Alençon. There I discovered Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus. I bought Stoy of a Soul quite randomly, although it happened as I was going through bereavement. It was a critical encounter. She helps me to live out my faith simply and love Jesus in small things. When I am tired, when I have the laundry to do or the meals to cook, I say to her: Saint Theresa, help me be a good handmaid. Rest will be for later on.”
Free, living prayer
Praying is not a constraint for me. It is a grace. It is part of me. There are time of faithfulness, even when you don’t understand everything. You need to learn how to let go and surrender. To trust the Lord. If He calls us, it means we should be there.
It is not knowledge. It’s not a technique. Prayer is practicing heart to heart, it’s a matter of love. Going to the One who loves us, and who teaches us to love.
Perhaps the first thing to do is simply to ask him:
“Lord, teach me to pray.”
