For Romano Guardini, "prayer is an inner necessity, grace and fulfillment, but prayer is also duty, effort, and overcoming. Thus, there is the experience of prayer, but also the practice of it; its source, but also its school." The well-known teacher of Christian life provides important, relevant, and continually inspiring impulses for today's readers regarding their own prayer. Romano Guardini draws on the example of Jesus Christ, who prayed to the Father before significant events and decisions, on the centuries-old experience of church liturgy, and on the great saints. The "pre-school of prayer" is an excellent introduction to a central practice of Christian life.