Paulo Coelho's Blog, page 34

Happy 2018 and remember:

Like the sun, life spreads its light in all directions. And when we are born, we want everything at once and cannot control the energy we have been given. But, if we want to make a fire, we have to focus all the sun’s rays on one spot. And the great secret that the Divine […]

Oh Maria

Oh Maria concebida sem pecado, rogai por nós que recorremos à Vós. Amém

The test

by Houssaye John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in […]

Christmas prayer

__________________________ EM PORTUGUES: Os ví­cios pessoais __________________________ At a certain point during my pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, we came to a flat, monotonous field of wheat stretching all the way to the horizon. The only thing breaking the dull landscape was a medieval column with a cross on top, marking the pilgrims’ way. Petrus […]

Adventure

What the future holds for you depends entirely on your capacity for love. And for that, you must have absolute and total confidence in what you are doing. Don’t let others say: ‘That road is better’ or ‘That route is easier’. The greatest gift God gave us is the power to make decisions. The adventure […]

Generous In Death

A man was traveling from one city to another when he heard that a ferocious battle had taken place and that his cousin was among the wounded soldiers. He rushed to the place and saw that his cousin was on death’s door. He offered him a little water from his canteen, but just at that […]

The talking donkey

A peasant was returning home when he saw a donkey in the field. “I’m not just any donkey,” said the animal. “I saw the messiah being born. I’ve lived for two thousand years and I am alive to give this testimony.” Alarmed, the peasant ran to the church and told it to the parish priest. […]

The mountain will tell me when I am old

I have chosen a mountain to define my limits. In 1989 (I was just over 40yrs and I had already published The Alchemist and The Pilgrimage in Brasil), I was on my second sacred pilgrimage in the Pyrenees. I saw a mountain in the distance called Pic du Gez and I said, ‘okay, I have […]

Odessa is like that

Catherine the Great received some boxes of freshly harvested oranges in the dead cold of winter. The note that came with it said they were from a distant port. The note said, ‘See what we are capable of bringing to you? We need your help to grow even more.’ Impressed, she sent a massive amount […]

The two paths

When they asked Abbot Antonio if the path of sacrifice led to heaven, he answered: – There are two paths of sacrifice. The first is taken by the man who mortifies the flesh and pays penance because he believes that we are condemned. The man who follows this path feels guilty and judges himself unworthy […]