Once I have confronted and accepted – as far as possible – that I am a needy person, the act of turning toward God is relatively easy. It is not faith in God that is hard, but the renunciation of illusory faith in myself. To turn toward God means, first, turning away from whatever is untrue or delusory’¦Our life is a journey that makes sense only on the supposition that we are going somewhere. When it is difficult to keep moving ahead, we need to reanimate our desire’¦Prayer operates as a function of our journey toward God. It is successful when it makes us want to continue the journey with greater urgency than before. If it makes us want to stop by the roadside for a picnic and a sleep in the sun, it is not prayer but delusion. Prayer is intended to keep us moving, which means constantly saying goodbye to the past. It involves the difficult task of allowing ourselves to be liberated from our burdens. The odd thing is that most of us keep clutching our useless bundles, as if we would cease to exist without them.

– Father Michael Casey, O.C.S.O.