I was hiking through the forests growing on the slopes of the mountains, admiring the beauty of nature and the majestic landscape. And above all, I could pray. (…)
Whenever I have the opportunity to go to the mountains and admire the mountain landscapes, I thank God for the majesty and beauty of creation. I thank Him for His own beauty, whose universe is like a reflection, capable of delighting sensitive minds and inspiring them to praise God’s greatness. In the mountains we find not only wonderful views that can be admired, but a kind of school of life. Here we learn to endure hardships in the pursuit of goals, to help one another in difficult moments, to enjoy silence together, to recognize our own smallness in the face of the majesty and dignity of the mountains.
I am a man of the mountains, although my homeland is the entire Poland, everywhere where Poland is, and everything that is Polish – but I was particularly connected with this part of my homeland, because I was born there, because I spent almost all my life there, I was called to the priesthood, to the become a Bishop there – I was a highlander Bishop, a highlander Cardinal, and in the end I became a highland Pope.
Man needs the beauty of our Tatry Mountains, which praise God themselves, which themselves call man to become a herald of His glory. I thank God for the time of rest in the silence of these mountains, whose majestic panorama inspires the soul to contemplate the wisdom and goodness of the Creator.
Mountains allow you to experience the hardship of climbing, steep climbs shape the character, and contact with nature gives serenity. And, that’s why it’s no wonder that people from different parts of Poland come here. They are coming in summer and winter. They are looking for rest. They want to find themselves in contact with nature. They want to regain strength in a healthy walk, in the ascent, in climbing, on the ski slope.
Hey, there’s a tear in my eye…
As a child I skated, as a young man, as a priest, as a Bishop, as a Pope I remained a bit of a skier.
John Paul II “The Autobiography”
Polish Publishing house – Literary Press – 2005
