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Last week we talked about what happens in prayer. That is, what happens when you close your eyes? Well one thing to pay attention to is insights. Often, we have a tendency to privilege emotional moments over the more intellectual ones in our spiritual life. For example, someone might say, “Oh I was so moved when I read about Jesus’ stilling of the storm that I started to cry.” But intellectual insights are just as important. Remember that when Jesus taught in parables he wanted people to see things in a new way, in addition to feel things in a new way. In other words, he was inviting them to insight.

So when you’re praying about a Bible passage, or just imagining yourself with Jesus, or walking along a beach, you may suddenly understand the solution to a problem that’s been plaguing you, or grasp something essential about your life, or just see the world—or God—in a new, clearer, way. And this may come without a great deal of emotion. So even if you’re not weeping buckets of tears, remember to see this as one way that God is communicating with you. Remember that this insight may be an important gift from God.

The Rev. James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, author, editor at large at America and founder of Outreach.