The phenomenon began unassumingly in the classrooms of a Galician school and ended up overflowing the technological boundaries of WhatsApp . In an era dominated by haste, hyperconnectivity, and constant noise, thousands of people are pausing their daily routine for ten minutes to do something unexpected: enter into silence and learn to speak with God .

During his appearance on  Rebeldes Podcast , Father Javier Sánchez Cervera, one of the driving forces behind the well-known initiative ” 10 minutes with Jesus ,” reflects on the origin of this global project, the urgency of cultivating the inner life, and the keys to healing the deepest emotional and spiritual wounds .

From WhatsApp overload to a global phenomenon

“The Lord says that whoever builds a house but does not put down roots, does not establish it on the eternal foundation of His word, is foolish,” explains Don Javier, addressing the need to slow down the frenetic pace of today’s world . The “10 Minutes with Jesus” initiative arose precisely to offer those roots to young people .

The project didn’t originate from a grand communication strategy, but rather from the persistence of a mother . Concerned that her children were losing the habit of praying as they grew up and couldn’t find suitable content on digital platforms, she urged Father José María García de Castro to record short reflections . Father Javier joined shortly afterward, becoming the third or fourth priest on the team .

The turning point came in the summer of 2018. Seeing the young people’s concern about maintaining prayer during the holidays, Father Javier decided to share a daily audio message through a WhatsApp group . The response was immediate:

“We created the group, I sent the audio and everyone started joining… Suddenly it stopped at 257 people and a message came up: ‘Don Javier, they say the group is full, can we make a second one?’ The first few days we were filling three or four groups a day.”

The combination of an inner need for prayer, an accessible format to accompany the daily journey, and organically viral spread turned the idea into a phenomenon that today reaches more than 80,000 people directly through hundreds of groups and digital platforms .

Listening in a world of constant stimuli

In contrast to the contemporary habit of  scrolling  and constant digital interruptions, prayer offers an exercise in introspection . For Don Javier, prayer is not about repeating mechanical phrases , but about establishing a personal relationship: “To pray is to be with the One we know loves us . “

When addressing the recurring difficulty of not perceiving the divine response, the priest points to three possible causes and proposes understanding God’s language as a symphony :

• Symphonic language:  God does not usually use a single channel of communication . He speaks through scripture, everyday circumstances, coincidences, close people, and the inner movements of the heart .
• Recognizing the melody:  Just as a musical composition is appreciated in the set of its instruments, God’s message is discovered by examining the events of life in a global way .
• Create the right space:  To listen, it is essential to reduce outside noise, “close the door” to distractions, and allow the mind to quiet down .

Healing the heart: Going to the root of the pain

A central pillar of the conversation addresses the distinction between moral forgiveness and inner peace . According to Don Javier, many people experience forgiveness for their transgressions but continue to carry deep suffering stemming from the actions of others or from unresolved traumas .

“Christ didn’t come for us to be good, but for us to be well. And a person who is well is good ,” the priest affirms . To overcome these emotional scars, it is essential to examine the moment of the hurt without giving in to victimhood or self-accusation .

In this restoration process, Don Javier synthesizes a key difference in the perception of personal pain:

“The devil knows your name, but he calls you by your wound. But Jesus, God, knows your wound, but he calls you by your name.”

Returning to the origin of the wound with spiritual accompaniment and from faith allows one to transform pain into a space of encounter and deep understanding, rediscovering one’s own value beyond the traumas of the past .