Brida

Here are some remarkable lines I've quoted from the book:

-None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, and yet still we go forwards. Because we trust. Because we have Faith. (p25)

-..the path of wisdom means not being afraid to make mistakes.(29)

-Don't bother try to explain your emotions. Live everything as intensely as you can and keep whatever you felt as a gift from God.(87)

-The best way to destroy to destroy the bridge between the visible and the

invisible is by trying to explain your emotions.(87)

-...knowledge without transformation is not wisdom.(139)

-Having the courage to take the steps we always wanted to take is the

only way of showing that we trust in God.(172)

-We don't look for an answer, we accept, and then life becomes much more

intense, much more brillian, because we understand that each minute, each

step that we take, has a meaning that goes far beyond us as individuals.

-We realise that there is a reason for us being here, and for us, that

is enough.(173)

-What is now proved was once only imagin'd.(174)

-Alternatively, we can surrender ourselves to Divine Providence, take

God's hand, and fight for our dreams, believing that they always arrive at the right moment.(188)

-Soulmates always find each other in the end.(190)

-...finding one important thing in your life doesn't mean you have to give up all the other important things.(209)

-Love was above everything else, and there was no hatred in love, only the occasional mistake. At one point, men may have decided to make themselves representatives and subsequently made mistakes, but God had nothing to do with that.(213)

-Being human means having doubts and yet still continuing on your path.(214)

-Remember, the first road to God is prayer, the second is joy.(230)

-For God placed in the hands of each and every person a Gift, the

instrument He used to reveal Himself to the world and to help humanity.

God chose human beings to be His helpers on Earth.

-...the Hand of God always guides those who follow their path with faith.(247)

-You can only know a good wine if you have first tasted a bad one.(254)

-...the brave are those who make decisions dispite their fear.(260)

A Sufi Prayer - Aleph

“J. SAYS A SUFI PRAYER.
“O God, when I listen to the voices of animals, the sounds of trees, the murmurings of water, the singing of birds, the whistling of the wind, or the boom of thunder, I see in them evidence of Your unity; I feel that You are supreme power, omniscience, supreme knowledge, and supreme justice.

I recognize You, O God, in the trials I am going through. May Your pleasure be my pleasure, too. May I be Your joy, the joy that a Father feels for a son. And may I think of You calmly and with determination, even when I find it hard to say I love You.”  

God's presence is always with us and he has promised...

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:20 

Photo: Harry F.

...the answer was there before her

Extracts from Brida(p213-216). This book is very timely.
I almost cried after reading this part. Thank you Lord, my Unfailing Love!



‘...She regretted her thoughts before entering the church: nothing was explained here either, and people had to take a chance and plunge in to the Dark Night of Faith. Before her, arms outspread, was that seemingly simple God.

He could not help her. She was alone with her decisions, and no one could help her. She needed to learn to take risks. She didn't have the same advantages as the crucified man before her, who had known what his mission was, because he was the son of God. He had never made a mistake. He had never known ordinary human love, only love for His Father. All he needed to do was to reveal His wisdom and teach humankind the true path to heaven.

‘… She remembered a Sunday catechism class, when the priest had been more inspired than usual. They'd been studying the episode when Jesus sweating blood, was praying to God and asking Him to remove the cup from which he was being forced to drink. 

‘But why, if he already know he was the son of God?’ asked the priest. ‘Because he only knew it with his heart. If he was absolutely sure, his mission would be meaningless, because he would not be entirely human. Being human means having doubts and yet still continuing on your path.’

She looked again at the image, and for the first time in her entire life, felt close to it. There perhaps was a man, frightened and alone, facing death and asking: ‘Father, Father, why has thou forsaken me?’ If he said that, it was because even he wasn't sure where he was going. He had taken a chance and plunged, as all men do, in to the Dark Night, knowing that he would only find the answer at the end of his journey. He, too, had to go through the anxiety of making decisions, of leaving His father and mother and His little villiage to go in search of the secrets of men and the mysteries of the Law.

If he had been through all that, then he must have know love, even thought the Gospels never mention this-love between people is much more difficult to understand than love for a supreme Being. But now she remembered that, when he had risen again, the first person to whom he appeared was a woman, who had accompanied Him to the last.

The silent image appeared to agree with her. He had known people, wine, bread, parties, and all the beauties of the word. It was impossible that He had not also know the love of a woman, which is why he had sweated blood on the Mount of Olives, because, having known the love of one person, it was very hard to leave the Earth and to sacrifice Himself for the love of all men.

He had experienced everything the word could offer and yet He continued on his journey, knowing that the Dark Night could end on the cross or on the pyre.

‘Lord, we’re all in the world to run the risks of that Dark Night. I’m afraid of death, but even more afraid of wasting my life. I’m afraid of love, because it involves things that are beyond our understanding;  it sheds such a brilliant light, but the shadow it casts frightens me.’ She suddenly realized that she was praying. That silent, simple God was looking at her, apparently understanding her words and taking them seriously.

For a while, she sat waiting for a response from him, but heard not a sound and saw not a sign. The answer was there before her, in that man nailed to the cross. He had played his part, and shown to the world that, if everyone played their part, no one else would have to suffer, because He had suffered for all those who’d had the courage to fight for their dreams.

Brida found herself quietly weeping, although she didn’t quite know why.

...love is liberty

How will you know who your soulmate is?

This book is a moving tale of love, passion, mystery and spirituality.

Here's one of my favorite excerpts from the book Brida  by Paulo Coelho (p262-263).

The Magus held out his hand to Brida and gave her a flower.

'When we first met - although it seems to me that I've always known

you, because I can't remember the world before that - I showed you the

Dark Night. I wanted to see how you would face up to your own limitations.

I knew that you were my Soulmate, and that you would teach me everything

I needed to learn - that is why God divided man and woman.'

Brida touched the flower. It seemed to her that it was the first

flower she had seen in months. Spring had arrived.

'People give flowers as presents because flowers contain the
true meaning of Love. Anyone who tries to possess a flower will
have to watch its beauty fading. But if you simply look at a flower
in a field, you will keep it forever, because the flower is part of
the evening and the sunset and the smell of damp earth and the
clouds on the horizon.'

Brida was looking at the flower. The Magus took it from her

and returned it to the forest.

Brida’s eyes filled with tears. She was proud of her Soulmate.

'That is what the forest taught me. That you will never be
mine, and that is why I will never lose you. You were my hope during

my days of loneliness, my anxiety during moments of doubt,

my certainty during moments of faith.

Knowing that my Soulmate would come one day, I devoted myself to learning

the Tradition of the Sun. Knowing that you existed was one of my reason

for continuing to live.'

'Then you came and, and I understood all of this. You came to free me from

the slavery I myself had created, to tell me that I was free to return

to the world and to the things of the world. I understood everything I

needed to know, and I love you more than all the woman I have ever

known, more than I loved the woman who, quite unwittingly, exiled

me to the forest. I will always remember now that love is liberty.

That was the lesson it took me so many years to learn. That is the

lesson that sent me into exile and now sets me free again.'