Prayer in Practice
By Simon Tugwell

“There is no short cut to true spirituality,” Simon Tugwell says. “There is no substitute for conversion of heart.” In the Old Testament it is made clear that man, as such, does not have the right to pray. People who presume that they have a right to approach God pay dearly for their presumption....Prayer is rather like going to sleep. It is something we certainly need, but it is not within our power to take it by storm....St. Thomas, putting it very bluntly, says that when we cannot go on praying without getting bored, then it's time to stop. ....It is easy to praise God when everything is going well, when the sun is shining and our health is good. The acid test is whether we can go on praising him with sincerity when everything is going wrong, when you are out of work and far from home, with a headache, lost in the pouring rain and no prospect of a bus for another two hours."