Pope Benedict XVI to Priests

This particular teaching of the Holy Father went straight to my heart. It is, I think, a confirmation of the service I am called to offer in the diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma: Eucharistic adoration, and the spiritual support of my brother priests and deacons.
Become Masters of Prayer
Dear brother priests, if your faith is to be strong and vigorous, as you well know, it must be nourished with assiduous prayer. Thus be models of prayer, become masters of prayer. May your days be marked by times of prayer, during which, after Jesus’ example, you engage in a regenerating conversation with the Father.
The Most Important Time in a Priest’s Life
I know it is not easy to stay faithful to this daily appointment with the Lord, especially today when the pace of life is frenetic and worries absorb us more and more. Yet we must convince ourselves: the time he spends in prayer is the most important time in a priest’s life, in which divine grace acts with greater effectiveness, making his ministry fruitful. The first service to render to the community is prayer. And therefore, time for prayer must be given a true priority in our life.
God is the First Priority
I know that there are many urgent things: as regards myself, an audience, a document to study, a meeting or something else. But if we are not interiorly in communion with God we cannot even give anything to others. Therefore, God is the first priority. We must always reserve the time necessary to be in communion of prayer with our Lord.
To the Priests, Deacons and Seminarians of Brindisi
June 15, 2008