By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

This novel is one of Paulo Coelho’s best.  It talks about the great mystery of love and suffering.  When two people follow the path of love, no amount of distance, travel and success could hinder them from reuniting, to savor the sweetness and delight that only genuine love is capable of giving.    At the summit of triumph, his love for Pilar was greatly tested, and so was his faith.  They battled with it, sleeping in desperate attempt to contemplate what their love could do without risking their mission.  A devoted Catholic capable of performing miracles and healing, he was on the height of his discernment, whether to accept his gift and carry out his mission alone, or abandon it and be with the woman he loved for years.  The revelations that each day presented led them to the re-examining of the past which made Pilar’s love for him stronger.  He gave her back her faith and restored her relationship with God. But as their blissful hearts easily floated on the cascading waterfall, he asked to be freed of the gift offered him by the Great Mother. 
A crucial decision was made.  God’s love has been tested, and it just showed him that it never was and never will be self-centered.  In the end, they both found the road where God intended them to be.  He is to continue his mission with Pilar on his side, renewed and transformed and offering her all for love’s sake and for religion’s sake.

Love is life’s value-laden past, today’s turning point, and the future’s measure of victory.  It is made manifest through the wonders of nature, the magnificent landscape around us so designed by the greatest architect in the universe, the extravagant painting of the sky in grandiose hues, the contrasting combination of the gentle and thunderous sound, the uniquely-woven animals and the creation of the all-intelligent men.  Everything around us is the expression of God’s great love for us.  Our history never failed to remind us of the great era of Jesus’ birth and ministry that significantly shaped and influenced the foundation of religion. And we are here to experience and share the immensity of love proven with the test of time.  It will never be replaced for anything.  And if joy is to be our goal,   let go and let love.