Therefore, let us ask ourselves whether we are living the Christian life to its fullest or whether we're happy to be lukewarm, nominal Christians. Let me share with you a story about a young man, who went to a staretz, an elder, and asked for advice on how to pray. This elder then took the youth to a river, grabbed him by the neck and thrust his head underwater. The shocked young man realized that he was in danger of drowning, and finally managed to break the elder's grasp, gasping for air. The elder calmly emerged from the river and asked him: "So, what was it like under water?" Still confused, the youth replied: "I screamed a silent scream, trying to get a gasp of air without drowning." At this point the staretz explained that if he will call out to God with that same conviction and seek the Holy Spirit as he sought that breath of air -- then he will truly experience prayer. If we allow ourselves to be overcome by daily problems and challenges to the point that we no longer feel the need to pray, to take part in the Sunday Liturgy, and to approach God with the understanding that we depend on Him for our very life -- then we will cease to be Church. All of us, Bishops, Priests, monks and religious, and all the laity -- we are all called to be men and women of deep prayer, gasping for the breath of