"A sound practice of daily prayer is essential for our well-being."

These are the words of the Archbishop of Westminser Vincent Nichols. And he is entirely right. The spiritual benefits of prayer are obvious - it deepens and stengthens our relationship with our creator and redeemer. It is through prayer, particularly through praying the Mass, that Gods gives us the sanctifying which we most desperately crave in every aspect of our being.

Less obviously, we know it brings with it great physical benefits. It is in prayer that we offer up to God our worries, problems, anxieties, fears and sins. It is our Lord who takes these burdens off of us and carries them upon his shoulders, such is his love for us his children.

For us to make the most of these benefits freely available to us in prayer we must bear in mind two things. First, that our prayer must be heartfelt. St Therese of Lisieux wrote that prayer is a "surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." Simply reading the words on the page (if one is saying the office or using traditional prayers) is not enough. Meditate on each word and savour it. There is nothing to be gained from reading through like a novel.

The second important point to note about prayer is its place in the public life of the Church. Often one sees figures trotted out that churchgoers live longer than those who attendance is less than regular but why is this? It is His Eminence's opinion that the reason for this is our need for community and feeling and being a part of a community. The best expression of this is found in the Church when we prayer together. This can be the Mass or any other kind of public celebration but communal prayer is of the utmost importance. It is one reason for compulsory Sunday Mass attendance - it is good for us.

Prayer is hard and spiritually challenging and for some may never get any easier. One may wake up on a Sunday morning and much rather, in that moment, to go back to sleep than go to Mass. One may dread the prospect of prayer because one fears what may come - acknowledgment of our own sinfulness before God or because God may have a difficult plan for us.

These are all natural feelings to have in prayer. What matters is our co-operation with God's plan for us and our fidelity to Him.