Fear is the great enemy of intimacy. Fear makes us run away from each other or cling to each other but does not create true intimacy.

If fear is the great enemy of intimacy, love is its true friend.

From the wrestling of his own soul with the great enemy, comes that depth and mystery which startles us in Hamlet.

The resistance to praying is like the resistance of tightly clenched fists. This image shows a tension, a desire to cling tightly to yourself, a greediness which betrays fear.

The resistance to praying is like the resistance of tightly clenched fists. This image shows a tension, a desire to cling tightly to yourself, a greediness which betrays fear.

Solitude is very different from a 'time-out' from our busy lives. Solitude is the very ground from which community grows. Whenever we pray alone, study, read, write, or simply spend quiet time away from the places where we interact with each other directly, we are potentially opened for a deeper intimacy with each other.