A prayer that does not lead you to practical action
for your brother or sister — the poor, the sick, those
in need of help, a brother or sister in difficulty —
is a sterile and incomplete prayer.
But, in the same way . . .
When time is not set aside for dialogue with him in prayer, we risk serving ourselves and not God present
in our needy brother and sister. . .
It is from contemplation, from a strong friendship with
the Lord that the capacity is born in us to live and to bring the love of God, his mercy, his tenderness, to others.
And also our work with brothers and sisters in need,
our charitable works of mercy, lead us to the Lord,
because it is in the needy brother and sister
that we see the Lord himself.
Pope Francis