St. John Paul II must have loved the snow -- check out these pictures!

Most will agree that winter has some qualities that make it a rough season. However, messy snow is fun to play in, and the cold air can make for a nice game of pond hockey, among other niceties with winter. Either way, love it or hate it, St. John Paul II seemed to love snow, and after seeing some pictures (below), I think you’ll agree, winter can be a time of fun, and amazing beauty. Enjoy.

“Here the silence of the mountain and the whiteness of the snow speak to us of God, and they show us the way of contemplation, not only as a way to experience the Mystery, but also as a condition for humanizing life and mutual relations” (JPII, Angelus in the Appenines, 1993).

“While I contemplate the summits of these mountains, which by now have become familiar to me, my spirit frequently turns to Mary. God has raised her above all angelic and earthly creatures, and has made her our sustenance in the road to heaven” (JPII, Address in a vacation chalet north of Italy, 2001).

“So, dear friends, …you are, as it were, molded by the mountain, by its beauty and its severity, by its mysteries and its attractions...therefore it is a reality which strongly suggests the journey of the spirit, called to lift itself up from the earth to heaven, to meet God” (JPII, Angelus in the Appenines, 1993).

“The way Jesus shows you is not easy. Rather, it is like a path winding up a mountain. Do not lose heart! The steeper the road, the faster it rises towards ever wider horizons” (JPII).

“We can pray perfectly when we are out in the mountains or on a lake and we feel at one with nature. Nature speaks for us or rather speaks to us. We pray perfectly” (JPII).

“Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure” (JPII).

“It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”