We are distinguished from other creatures inasmuch as we are aware of that by which we live; this consciousness is not complete if it does not touch the foundation from which it arises; the arc of reflection does not realize its fullest dimensions if it does not arrive at the point from which the I with all its gestures breaks forth. The ideal person—a person who is completely realized- should possess this uninterrupted awareness. Jesus said, “Pray always.”
But this awareness, except for a very particular grace and therefore a very particular function, is impossible for us. The transparency of the presence of our own being is normally opaque. We find ourselves truly—that is, we see ourselves according to this dependence on God—only intermittently, more or less frequently. The ideal which Jesus dreamed of can be translated existentially like this: “pray more than you can.” It is the formula of a conscience in front of the ideal; it is the formula of freedom for one who is on a journey. It is a formula that comprises our entire existence, with all its various limitations and the mutability of its conditions, and at the same time is a formula that inexorably affirms the incessant demand of a duty, whose call no limit or condition can silence.