5 Ways To Prepare For The Feast Of St. John Paul II

On Thursday, October 22^nd, the Church will celebrate the feast of Saint John Paul II. In order to honor our beloved Holy Father, we’ve come up with some ways to prepare for this special day.

1.   Pray

There is no better way to prepare for St. John Paul II’s feast than by opening ourselves to the Lord in prayer. One idea is to join us in nine days of prayer, seeking the late Holy Father’s intercession for a particular intention. We will begin praying this novena tomorrow. You can also prepare by praying the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or by attending daily Mass. It is through prayer that God is able to draw close to us, and because St. John Paul II is present in heaven with the Father now, prayer is our best chance of drawing closer to our beloved Holy Father. 

2.  Fast

St. John Paul II once said that, “prayer acquires power if it is joined with fasting.” Consider fasting in preparation for the great saint’s feast. Give up sweets, meat, or perhaps different forms of media, like Facebook or TV shows. Making some small sacrifice is a powerful way to prepare our hearts for the festal celebrations.

Drawing From The Source Of Love

In his 1994 Message for Lent, Saint John Paul II challenged the Church to make the Lenten season one of conversion and growth:

The Lenten Season is the acceptable time which the Lord gives us that we might take up anew our journey of conversion, grow in faith, hope and love, enter more fully into the Covenant willed by God and experience a season of grace and reconciliation.

His challenge is one that asks us to turn back to that relationship we were made for—to return “to the God from whom we have turned away.” The sainted pointiff invites all Chrstians to change their lives in this way, and so better orient themselves for receiving God’s grace and giving themselves as “leaven which gives rise in the heart of the human family…”

There can be no conversion—no turning back—without cultivating a life of prayer in one’s life and in the life of one’s family. Without prayer, one’s gifts can be misguided, lifeless, and hallow. As John Paul II wrote:

In their individual and community prayer [families] receive the Holy Spirit who comes to make all things new in them and through them, opening the hearts of the faithful to concern for all. Drawing from the source of love, all are enabled to transmit this love by their life and their actions.

The Holy Spirit gives purpose to our fasting, and He brings life to our almsgiving. He inspires us to grow in our relationship with God, and He strengthens us to lift up those who are suffering.

We can not make our Lent mean something. It is God who must do that! So let us turn to Him in prayer, and allow Him to guide our Lenten journeys.

For more on Lenten prayer in the family, see the Saint John Paul II National Shrine website.

Take Time To Breathe

This past Sunday, Pope Francis reminded children gathered for the traditional “Bambinelli Blessing” to pray unceasingly. He said:

Prayer is the breath of the soul...It is important to find moments throughout the day to open the heart to God, even with the short and simple prayers of the Christian people.

The Church gives us Advent as a time to catch our breath, so that we may open ourselves to the God who is always coming for us. Let us heed Pope Francis’s advice then, and give moments to prayer each day as we prepare for Christmas. 

Guide Us On All Paths

O God, You are our Creator.

You are good and Your mercy knows no bounds.


To You arises the praise of every creature.


O God, You have given us an inner law by which we must live.


To do Your will is our task.


To follow Your ways is to know peace of heart.


To You we offer our homage.

Guide us on all the paths we travel upon this earth.


Free us from all the evil tendencies which lead our hearts away from Your will.


Never allow us to stray from You.


O God, judge of all humankind, help us to be included among 

Your chosen ones on the last day.


O God, Author of peace and justice, give us true joy and authentic love, 

and a lasting solidarity among peoples.


Give us Your everlasting gifts. Amen! 

-Saint John Paul II

Plunged In God

Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, Archbishop of Kraków and former secretary to Blessed John Paul II, was recently interviewed about the late Holy Father and what it was like to work closely with him. He shared incredible stories about the Pope’s prayer life:

…the Holy Father never celebrated the Holy Mass without earlier morning preparation. He did this meditation for at least 15 minutes. And he never left after the Holy Mass without his thanksgiving. Besides – he did not talk with people before the Holy Mass. When we were going with visits or for celebrations, silence had to be before the Holy Mass, ‘silentium,’ concentration, he was getting prepared for a meeting with Lord during the Holy Mass. After the Holy Mass it was similar…

Indeed, as I said, the Holy Father used to look for secluded places for contact with God. From time to time we tried to give him an occasion to go away to spend time with nature. In the beginning he did not talk with people accompanying him, but he was plunged in God, admiring the Creator through creations. He was an artist, a man sensitive to beauty. The beauty of nature helped him to meet with God. Everybody who looked from a distance, not to disturb him, were under impression of his prayer and unity with God. 

When he was younger – because later his older age and illnesses came – [he] prayed a lot when lying in the form of the cross either on the floor of the chapel on Franciszkańska Street in Kraków or in Rome. We used to leave him discreetly, but we heard him speaking to God quietly – it was a dialogue with Eucharistic Christ. We heard him praying in the intention of problems, countries where he travelled, their inhabitants. After all he often repeated that the prayer, hands raised upwards are the most important action for the Pope.

Cardinal Dziwisz shares more about Blessed John Paul II’s prayer life and other activities in the interview. These stories speak to the humility and holiness of our beloved Holy Father, and they confirm that he truly lived as a member of the Communion of Saints. 

Evangelization Is Done On One’s Knees

Dear seminarians, dear novices, dear young people discerning your vocations. One of you, one of your formators, said to me the other days, “evangeliser, on le fait à genoux” “evangelization is done on one’s knees.” Listen well: “evangelization is done on one’s knees.” Without a constant relationship with God, the mission becomes a job. But for what do you work? As a tailor, a cook a priest, is your job being a priest, being a sister? No. It is not a job, but rather something else. The risk of activism, of relying too much on structures, is an ever-present danger. If we look towards Jesus, we see that prior to any important decision or event he recollected himself in intense and prolonged prayer. Let us cultivate the contemplative dimension, even amid the whirlwind of more urgent and heavy duties. And the more the mission calls you to go out to the margins of existence, let your heart be the more closely united to Christ’s heart, full of mercy and love. Herein lies the secret of pastoral fruitfulness, of the fruitfulness of a disciple of the Lord!

                 -Homily of Pope Francis, with seminarians, novices, and those discerning

Sunday’s Worldwide Adoration

This Sunday, the Church will celebrate the Year of Faith with an historic event: Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration. The theme is “One Lord, One Faith,” and so cathedrals throughout the world will synchronize with St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and expose the Blessed Sacrament for Adoration at the same time. This way, all of the faithful can be in communion with Pope Francis in Eucharistic Adoration.

On Sunday June 2, from 5:00pm-6:00pm in Rome, Pope Francis will kneel before the Eucharistic Lord. Dioceses around the world will join at exactly this time, which conveniently lands at 11:00am D.C. time, but occurs in the wee hours of the morning for others. People are very enthusiastic, though, and honored to pray with the Church for the Pope’s intentions. These are:

For the Church spread throughout the world and united today in the adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist as a sign of unity. May the Lord make her ever more obedient to hearing his Word in order to stand before the world ‘ever more beautiful, without stain or blemish, but holy and blameless.’ That through her faithful announcement, the Word that saves may still resonate as the bearer of mercy and may increase love to give full meaning to pain and suffering, giving back joy and serenity.

For those around the world who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running, and slave labor. For the children and women who are suffering from every type of violence. May their silent scream for help be heard by a vigilant Church so that, gazing upon the crucified Christ, she may not forget the many brothers and sisters who are left at the mercy of violence. Also, for all those who find themselves in economically precarious situations, above all for the unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners, and those who experience marginalization. That the Church’s prayer and its active nearness give them comfort and assistance in hope and strength and courage in defending human dignity.

It is no coincidence that this event is planned for the Feast of Corpus Christi, a day that the Church sets aside to celebrate devotion to the body and blood of Christ. This day was very special for Blessed John Paul II, which is something we will touch on later this week.

For Those In Need Of Motivation

For those of our readers who are struggling to give extra time to God this Lent, there are plenty of resources online that can give you the motivation you need.

Of course you can meditate on the Stations of the Cross here on Open Wide the Doors, but you can also look to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s site for some help on your Lenten journey. Life Teen has Lenten posts for young people up on their blog, and other sites offer viewers the opportunity to take short, online retreats.

Blessed John Paul II stressed that the Lenten Season is a time “to listen to the Word of God more devoutly.” If you don’t have access to the Sacred Scriptures, there are a number of sites that offer easy access to the Biblical text.  

The two most important things you can do to get out of a Lenten rut are (1) ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to move, and (2) frequent the Sacraments (yes, there’s a site for that!). 

Simply pray for the grace to turn your heart to the Lord during the remainder of this Lenten journey, and you will not be disappointed.