The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho Read Free Book Online Page A

my friend was. The spirit answered that he was fine and that
     he was surrounded by light. Without ever having had the faith during his life, the three
     prayers he had said ritualistically every day had brought him salva- tion.
    God was manifest in the caves and in the thunder- storms of prehistory. After people began
     to see Gods hand in the caves and thunderstorms, they began to see him in the animals and
     in special places in the forest. During certain difficult times, God existed only in the
     catacombs of the great cities. But through all of time, he never ceased to live in the
     human heart in the form of love.
    In recent times, some thought that God was merely a concept, subject to scientific proof.
     But, at this point, history has been reversed, or rather is starting all over again. Faith
     and love have resumed their importance. When Father Jordi cited that quotation from Jesus,
     saying that wherever your treasure is, there also would your heart be, he was referring to
     the importance of love and good works. Wherever it is that you want to see the face of
     God, there you will see it. And if you dont want
    to see it, that doesnt matter, so long as you are perform- ing good works. When Felicia of
     Aquitaine built her small church and began to help the poor, she forgot about the God of
     the Vatican. She became Gods mani- festation by becoming wiser and by living a simpler
     life in other words, through love. It is in that respect that the old man was absolutely
     right in saying that love had been murdered.
    Now Petrus said, The law of retribution was operat- ing when Felicias brother felt forced
     to continue the good works he had interrupted. Anything is permissible but the
     interruption of a manifestation of love. When that happens, whoever tried to destroy it is
     responsible for its recreation.
    I explained that in my country the law of return said that peoples deformities and
     diseases were punish- ments for mistakes committed in previous incarnations.
    Nonsense, said Petrus. God is not vengeance, God is love. His only form of punishment is
     to make some- one who interrupts a work of love continue it.
    The old man excused himself, saying that it was late and that he had to get back to work.
     Petrus thought it was a good time for us to get up, too, and get back on the Road.
    Lets forget all of our discussion about God, he said, as we made our way through the olive
     trees. God is in everything around us. He has to be felt and lived. And here I am trying
     to transform him into a problem in logic so that you can understand him. Keep doing the
    exercise of walking slowly, and you will learn more and more about his presence.
    Two days later, we had to climb a mountain called the Peak of Forgiveness. The climb took
     several hours, and at the top, I was shocked to find a group of tourists sunbathing and
     drinking beer; their car radios blasted music at top volume. They had driven up a nearby
     road to get to the top of the mountain.
    Thats the way it is, said Petrus. Did you expect that you were going to find one of El
     Cids warriors up here, watching for the next Moorish attack?
    As we descended, I performed the Speed Exercise for the last time. Before us was another
     immense plain with sparse vegetation burned by the drought; it was bor- dered by blue
     mountains. There were almost no trees, only the rocky ground and some cactus. At the end
     of the exercise, Petrus asked me about my work, and it was only then that I realized that
     I hadnt thought about it for some time. My worries about business and about the things I
     had left undone had practically disappeared. Now I thought of these things only at night,
     and even then I didnt give them much importance. I was happy to be there, walking the Road
     to Santiago.
    I told Petrus how I was feeling, and he joked, Any time now you are going to do the same
     thing as Felicia of Aquitaine. Then he stopped and asked me to