It is a radical and life-changing practice to follow Jesus’s advice about

prayer. We are invited to step into solitude and close the door. No public

display, no bragging rights, no distractions. We leave the ego at the door.

Jesus toppled the conventions of his day. He called his followers into

intimacy with God, who he referred to as Abba, a term of endearment,

tenderness and closeness. He did not tell his followers to make grandiose

gestures of devotion. He directed them to get quiet and get real.