Praying Like John Paul II
“Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2).
It is hard to even find the words to begin a reflection on the great Pope St. John Paul II. Beloved by many and credited with numerous miracles during and after his time on earth, he is arguably one of the greatest saints of this century. With a lifetime devotion to him that solidified during my college years, I attribute numerous answered prayers to John Paul II and his closeness to the Father.
Holiness similar to John Paul II’s might seem unattainable to most. However, with a quick peek into his prayer life, one can see that even the most stressed CEOs and sleep-deprived mothers of 10 children are able to pray and love God like John Paul II. His prayer wasn’t a flashy display with sounds of trumpets and choirs of angels; it was simple, loving, and consistent.
Finding Jesus in Your Day
John Paul II was a magnet to the Blessed Sacrament. No matter where he was, he found Jesus present in the tabernacle and simply had to say hello. Every Wednesday audience began with John Paul II’s stop by the chapel to offer up his words and those in attendance to Jesus. This was made even more clear by him stating, “The Mass constitutes the center of my life and of my every day.” His schedule revolved around his time with Jesus, not the other way around.
For many of us, daily Mass and a full holy hour is unattainable. However, there is sometimes more power in five minutes in front of the Blessed Sacrament than nothing at all. When John Paul II traveled, he would stop the car and delay his schedule if he had an opportunity to say hi to Jesus. It would be the meetings that would be shortened, not the time in prayer.
Think about your routine: is there an opportunity for you to change your route to pop into a chapel quickly to say hello to Jesus? Can you carve out 20 extra minutes to make time for prayer in your local church? For several years, something I loved to do was get off one metro stop early after work and walk into a perpetual adoration chapel for prayer. The craziness of your life might prevent you from making the highly inconvenient 9:30 a.m. daily Mass offered once a week. But follow the example of John Paul II (arguably one of the most important and busiest individuals alive) and find Jesus in your day. He would love to see you!
Walk with God. Always.
Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki described the moments between appointments as moments in which John Paul II “was immersed in prayer for those five minutes. He was then beyond our reach, turned off. There were dozens of moments like that throughout the day.”
We live in a noisy world. Silence is a lost art, and many people’s biggest fear is just sitting in silence for one minute while they wait for the person in front of them to check out at the grocery store. Every form of public transportation or sidewalk of pedestrians is full of just individuals with AirPods in or noses down toward their screens. “Your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9), so why do we waste these opportunities to be with Him?
Everyone has some sort of commute – whether it be 45 minutes in the car, 20 minutes on the subway, or even the walk up the stairs to console a crying child. Move as John Paul II did, with God, recalling that He is by you always.
Totus Tuus
John Paul II had a particularly strong and beautiful devotion to our Mother Mary. Rosary always in hand, he resounded the phrase “totus tuus” (or "totally yours”) in terms of offering his life to Mary, as she is the shortest and surest pathway to Jesus. He is quoted as saying that “to pray the Rosary is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts of Christ and His mother.”
John Paul II instituted the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary in 2002. He was seen praying the Angelus three times a day. He would regularly pass out rosaries to guests at his audiences. These are a few ways that he would use Mary as a pillar in his prayer as well as a pathway for others to reach holiness.
When times in prayer get hard 一 either because you are carrying a heavy cross that has made you upset with God or you are struggling with finding the time to pray 一 turn to Mary! Her prayers, such as the Rosary or the Angelus, are short, sweet, and simple ways to be reminded of God’s presence throughout the day. Someone once equated praying the Rosary with Mary scattering rose petals around where you say it.
Mary wants to bring us closer to Jesus, and John Paul II understood this. Follow his example and turn to Mary!
Keep on Praying
For most, John Paul II’s holiness may seem unattainable. Though we are not entrusted with the critical role of leading the Universal Church, we can still learn how to pray from this great saint and integrate his patterns of holiness into our own vocations. “Prayer joined to sacrifice constitutes the most powerful force in human history,” he said.
Quotes were drawn from Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves by Jason Evert, Totus Tuus Press, 2014.
Caroline Tentor is a software engineer based in Gainesville, Fla. with her husband. She’s always up for a long outdoor walk or a run. Chances are, she’ll end up talking about her love of the rosary, her “saint squad” (especially St. Thérèse, St. Josemaría Escrivá, and St. Joseph), or how she’s been seeing God’s providential love at work in her life.
