“Prayerful activity can be no substitute for time set aside exclusively for God. How sad it is that prayer in this sense is not part and parcel of the normal Christian life, and yet without it one cannot be fully Christian. People do not understand this and who is to tell them? An earlier generation had the rosary; a brief space was reserved for God and this gave Him His chance. What of today? If only Catholics were to avail themselves fully of their assistance at Mass, the reception of the sacrament of penance, their morning and night prayer; taught that God is longing to draw near to them to work in them; taught how they must hold themselves attentive before Him, not expecting ‘something to happen’ — that sort of thing has nothing to do with prayer — but believing that He is working in them. It is moving to see how in old age a habit of prayer, formed in the demanding busy years, bears rich fruit—simply, unselfconsciously.” ~Ruth Borrows, OCD, Guidelines For Mystical Prayer
