The prayer of a righteous man avails much. This passage from the book of James is powerful. It applies to many different things, but it makes us think especially of the Saints in Heaven praying for us; something we desperately need in these dark days. Just the other day, someone mentioned to me about Pope Benedict's ministry before he passed being one of prayer for us. Now we have another layer to this: we cannot presume upon how long his purification before entering into the beatific vision will take, but we can ask about what it will be like after. I read that when he heard about Traditiones Custodes that it broke his heart. What will Pope Benedict's prayers be like for us once he is fully purged of his sins, and enters completely into the presence of God? We should get ready to be the recipients of some powerful blessings of God's grace!