Do not fear your death. For when that moment arrives, I will draw my breath and your soul will come to Me like a needle to a magnet.
~ Mechtild of Magdeburg
The function of prayer is not to establish a routine; it is to establish a relationship with God who is in relationship with us always... The function of prayer is to bring us into touch with ourselves, as well. To the ancients, "tears of compunction" were the sign of a soul that knew its limits, faced its sins, accepted its needs, and lived in hope.