Once upon a time, there was an old black man who was a slave. This was, without a doubt, the worst social condition someone could have been submitted to. The unfortunate man was deprived of his rights. There was someone who owned him, his work, his hours and even his body. Therefore, he lived extremely happy. He was extremely connected to God.

         Every day, in the middle of the night, he would go outside. He would then look at the ground. Before starting to work he would take his hat off, look up in the sky, place his right hand over his heart and say:

         "Sir! The old negro is here!”

         That’s all he said. He was not able to read or right; he wasn’t a literate person but he knew the essential: he was in touch with his inner feelings; he knew he was a child of God. He didn’t want to start his day without the Father’s blessings.

         In our prayers what really matters is to express ourselves with honesty; not its duration or repetition of words. The presence of feelings in our prayers is essential; fundamental.