“Our experience of prayer is our entry into the realm of mystery. If you like, it is stepping out of space and time into eternity, where we are conscious only that our spirits are being fed. It is this heavenly nourishment that energizes our efforts to live according to the impossible precepts of the gospel. It is not only when times are hard that we are sustained by prayer: Only to those who pray is it possible to keep stretching out beyond ordinary comfort zones to a closer following of Jesus. Monastic life is not possible without prolonged dedication to prayer; where prayer is lacking, commitment falters and life begins to fall apart.” Michael Casey, OCSO