A colloquy is a one-on-one conversation between you and God, Jesus, Mary, a saint, or an angel. It’s an opportunity for you to speak from the heart in words and emotions you use every day. If you’re feeling anxious or worried, tell God about it. If you’re elated and filled with dreams of the future, then share those with God. Don’t hold back. Let loose the way you would with a trusted friend.

Imagine God is with you in a beautiful garden of lavender, hyacinth, and roses. It is evening. You smell the flowers and the brine of the distant sea. You hear a commotion, and in the distance you watch soldiers arrest Jesus. You begin speaking to God: “Don’t let this happen. How can you allow this? Do something.” You tremble and think, If you can let this happen to Jesus, will you let this happen to me?

How does God respond? Reflect on those answers and then ask, “What am I doing for Christ? What can I do for Christ? How can I help him?”

Speak your answers to God. If words do not come, just remain present in that silence.

—Excerpted from Station to Station