“Prayer, as a means of drawing ever new strength from Christ, is concretely and urgently needed. People who pray are not wasting their time, even though the situation appears desperate and seems to call for action alone.” (Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love, n. 36)
Blessed Pope John Paul II was praying on one of his many international flights when his secretary came up to him and said, “Holy Father, you have a very urgent phone call from this particular person.” The Holy Father asked, “Is it really urgent?” The secretary responded, “Yes, Holy Father” The Holy Father continued to pray and after a few minutes said with a warm smile, “Tell him that his problem is now resolved.” Blessed Pope John Paul II was a man of deep prayer and this is precisely where he found his strength and apostolic effectiveness.