5 Ways to Love the Eucharist Like St. John Paul II

October 22, 2025: Have you ever watched someone so in love that their entire face lights up at the mere mention of their beloved's name? That was St. John Paul II whenever he spoke about the Eucharist. His devotion wasn't just theological—it was deeply, achingly personal. He didn't just believe in the Real Presence; he lived it with every fiber of his being.

So how can you and I cultivate that same fire? Here are five practices drawn directly from the documented life and teachings of this Eucharistic saint.

1. Arrive Early and Prepare Your Heart

When was the last time you arrived early to Mass? Not just on time, but early enough to actually prepare your heart?

St. John Paul II understood that encountering Christ in the Eucharist requires preparation. He often rose very early each morning, praying the Rosary prostrate on the floor or kneeling before going to the chapel to prepare for Mass. According to his press secretary, Joaquín Navarro-Valls, his sixty to ninety minutes of private prayer before Mass were a cherished part of his day.

Your action plan:

• Arrive 10-15 minutes before Mass starts this week
• Use that time to read the Scripture readings for the day
• Pray a simple prayer: "Lord, open my eyes to recognize You in the breaking of the bread"
• Silence your phone—not just on vibrate, but actually off

The Eucharist deserves more than your leftovers. Give Christ the first fruits of your attention.

2. Make Eye Contact with Jesus

"The Eucharist is a priceless treasure," St. John Paul II wrote. "By not only celebrating it but also by praying before it outside of Mass we are enabled to make contact with the very wellspring of grace."

His love for the Eucharist didn't end when Mass concluded. He promoted Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the Vatican starting in 1981 and would spend extended periods of time in prayer before the tabernacle, often in profound contemplation. Witnesses reported that this union with our Lord in the Eucharist allowed him "not merely to speak to Christ, but actually to converse with him."

On occasion, his aides found him deeply absorbed in prayer in the chapel, fully engaged with Christ's presence.

Your action plan:

• After receiving Communion, take 30 seconds to simply be present with Jesus
• Whisper, "My Lord and my God" with Thomas's wonder
• Throughout the week, visit a chapel for 15 minutes of Eucharistic Adoration

Remember his words: "The visit to the Blessed Sacrament is a great treasure of the Catholic faith. It nourishes social love and gives us opportunities for adoration and thanksgiving, for reparation and supplication"

3. Let the Eucharist Change How You See People

Here's a truth that might make you uncomfortable: You can't truly love Jesus in the Eucharist on Sunday and ignore Him in your neighbor on Monday.

St. John Paul II understood this deeply. In *Dominicae Cenae*, he wrote: "The Eucharist educates us to this love in a deeper way. It shows us, in fact, what value each person, our brother or sister, has in God's eyes, if Christ offers himself equally to each one, under the species of bread and wine."

Think about it: If Jesus gives Himself completely to everyone in the Eucharist—the saint and the sinner, the rich and the poor, the kind and the difficult—then who are we to withhold our love from anyone?

The same Jesus you receive is present in those around you—family members, friends, coworkers, and strangers alike.

Your action plan:

• After receiving Communion, pray: "Jesus, help me see You in others today"
• Choose one concrete action this week: buy a meal for someone hungry, visit a sick friend, reconcile with someone you've hurt
• Before falling asleep each night, ask yourself: "Where did I encounter Christ in others today?"

4. Starve Yourself (It's Not What You Think)

St. John Paul II took fasting seriously before receiving Communion. In his 1980 letter *Dominicae Cenae*, he wrote about the importance of Eucharistic preparation, stating: "The Eucharist is a great mystery... This truth does not only express the permanent actuality of the mystery but also its actual depth."

When you fast, you're preparing your body and soul for something sacred. The Church requires a one-hour fast before receiving Communion—abstaining from food and drink except water and medicine.

Your action plan:

• Keep the traditional one-hour fast before Mass—actually keep it, with no exceptions except water and medicine
• Consider extending this practice: fast from your phone for an hour before Mass
• On First Fridays, consider fasting from one meal and offering it as preparation for receiving Jesus

5. Live Like You've Just Received Jesus—Because You Have

St. John Paul II celebrated Mass every day, even with his demanding schedule. He was often deeply absorbed in prayer before and during the celebration of the Eucharist. Many who attended Mass with him over the years noted his focus and reverence.

During the celebration of the Eucharist, observers noted his careful attention to the prayers and gestures of the Mass. After the moment of Consecration, he would genuflect before Christ's presence on the altar with deep reverence.

"Receiving the Eucharist means entering into a profound communion with Jesus," he wrote in *Mane Nobiscum Domine*. "'Abide in me, and I in you' (John 15:4). This relationship of profound and mutual 'abiding' enables us to have a certain foretaste of heaven on earth."

To the Italian youth in 1978, he proclaimed: "Jesus is not an idea, a sentiment, a memory! Jesus is a 'person,' always alive and present with us! Love Jesus present in the Eucharist."

Your action plan:

• In the hours after receiving Communion, be intentional: practice patience in traffic, gentleness with your family, forgiveness with those who hurt you
• Journal one sentence each Sunday: "This week, because I received Jesus, I will..."
• Before bed on Sunday, review: "Did I live this week like someone who received Jesus?"

Your Next Step

St. John Paul II died during the Year of the Eucharist in 2005, on Divine Mercy Sunday—a feast he himself had instituted.

He died as he had lived, devoted and close to his Eucharistic Lord.

What will your next step be? Will you commit to one of these practices this week? The same Jesus who captured St. John Paul II's heart is waiting for you in the tabernacle of your local church.

As he wrote: "Let Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament speak to your hearts. It is he who is the true answer of life that you seek. He stays here with us: He is God with us. Seek him without tiring, welcome him without reserve, love him without interruption: today, tomorrow, forever!"

Don't miss this encounter. Let Him set you on fire.

By Catholic Connect Reporter