It is hard for most contemporary men and wopmen to understand and accept the need for repentence as not just an occasional pious exercise but as a constant attitude of heart and a way of life. Irma Zaleski shows how the practice of prayer can help one understand the sense of separation from God that is the root of all sin, and for which repentence is the only way back. Prayer, she argues, can lead eventually to the door of the great mystery of repentence, the mystery of God's infinite mercy and love. Zaleski shows how moving beyond guilt towards and awareness that we have sinned and that we need to be responsible for something we have done or failed to do is the first step towards healing.