This is what Pierre wrote in 1971, a few weeks before the experience of the Holy Spirit, for the benefit of the young people in the school of prayer that the two of us were leading with a small team:

“To pray is to love Jesus.  It is granting Him an interview: it is a reversal of roles! We might think that it is He who agrees to grant us an appointment. Well, not at all! He is always there, waiting for us day and night, He never gets tired, and it’s us, who do not welcome Him. So when we do accept, think of his joy, and how warmly we are made welcome. […]

It is faith that makes us understand this, by believing literally the words that Jesus said: “Look, I am standing at the door and knocking. If one of you hears Me calling I will come in share a meal at the person’s side (Rev 3:20)

We must pray so that God’s grace may permeate us, take us, and transform us, otherwise, we remain only skin-deep.

The First point is to pray: personal prayer, prayer with 2, 3, 4 or 5 others, and then in community … otherwise you are in mortal danger  … So we must have a minimum time of prayer and that is what the Lord asks of us”