In whatever situation the young people found themselves, they were trained to focus on the presence of God as their reference point.
This exercise of the presence of God and these short prayers must be done without any mental effort and in a way that no one else notices. A simple glance towards the supreme greatness of God, present everywhere, and who will one day judge the most secret thoughts, is sufficient to keep the soul in the state of dependence it must always have on its Creator.
These words alone: “My God, I love you” or: “my God give me your love” or: “My God, come to my rescue” or, “Jesus, my good Savior, have pity me”. Just these words or other similar ones, pronounced from the bottom of the heart to the tip of the lips, will be a sufficient indication of the disposition of our soul in relation to its beloved. They will inevitably gain for us all the graces which are necessary to remain faithful in times of danger.
Règlements et Statuts de la Congrégation de la Jeunesse, 1813, p. 21
The prayer of the awareness of the presence of God as a constant source of a sense of direction and meaning was an integral part of Eugene’s daily life, and so he shares something of how he made it work for him:
Art. 14. In the beginning, it will probably be difficult to remember the presence of God in the midst of all the distractions of their daily occupations. But he will gradually get used to it if he uses this method: it is to resolve to think about God whenever he hears the clock chime, or whenever someone knocks on the door, or someone enters his room.
Statuts, Chapitre XIII
“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20