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I was wandering thru the empty space within
wondering what to do with the time's that killin
looking for a hand to catch, an ear to listen
a hug too close, a shoulder to cry upon
got Coelho and his prologue apt
in 'By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept'
The prologue goes like this:
A Spanish missionary was visiting an island when he came across three Aztec priests.
"How do you pray?" the missionary asked.
"We have only one prayer," answered one of the Aztecs. "We say, 'God, you are three, we are three.
Have pity on us.'"
"A beautiful prayer," said the missionary. "But it is not exactly the one that God heeds. I'm going to teach
you one that's much better."
The padre taught them a Catholic prayer and then continued on his path of evangelism. Years later,
when he was returning to Spain , his ship stopped again at the island. From the deck, the missionary saw
the three priests on the shore and waved to them.
Just then, the three men began to walk across the water toward him.
"Padre! Padre!" one of them called, approaching the ship. "Teach us again that prayer that God heeds.
We've forgotten how it goes."
"It doesn't matter," responded the missionary, witnessing the miracle. And he promptly asked God's
forgiveness for failing to recognize that He speaks all languages.
This story illustrates just what this book is about. Rarely do we realize that we are in the midst of the
extraordinary. Miracles occur all around us, signs from God show us the way, angels plead to be heard,
but we pay little attention to them because we have been taught that we must follow certain formulas and
rules if we want to find God. We do not recognize that God is wherever we allow Him/Her to enter.
Traditional religious practices are important: they allow us to share with others the communal experience
of adoration and prayer. But we must never forget that spiritual experience is above all apractical
experience of love. And with love, there are no rules. Some may try to control their emotions and
develop strategies for their behavior; others may turn to reading books of advice from "experts" on
relationships but this is all folly. The heart decides, and what it decides is all that really matters.
All of us have had this experience. At some point, we have each said through our tears, "I'm suffering for
a love that's not worth it." We suffer because we feel we are giving more than we receive. We suffer
because our love is going unrecognized. We suffer because we are unable to impose our own rules.
But ultimately there is no good reason for our suffering, for in every love lies the seed of our growth. The
more we love, the closer we come to spiritual experience. Those who are truly enlightened, those whose
souls are illuminated by love, have been able to overcome all of the inhibitions and preconceptions of
their era. They have been able to sing, to laugh, and to pray out loud; they have danced and shared
what Saint Paul called "the madness of saintliness." They have been joyful—because those who love
conquer the world and have no fear of loss. True love is an act of total surrender.
Well, this do enlighten my belief, gives some relief
amidst the tides in the turmoil of life
Love will find a way for sure
Can we keep patience some more ?