The Pilgrim's Rule
The Book of Creation
Learning to Read the Lessons God Has Written into the Body and the World
Book I
For by the greatness of the beauty, and of the creature, the creator of them may be seen, so as to be known thereby.
The body is God's first catechism of the soul.
Prayer Before Reading
O Eternal Wisdom, Creator of all things visible and invisible, Who hast ordered all creation in measure, number, and weight, grant unto me the grace to behold Thy hand in all that Thou hast made.
Open the eyes of my understanding, that I may not pass thoughtlessly through the works of Thy Providence, but may read in every creature some reflection of Thy goodness, Thy truth, and Thy eternal law.
Teach me to govern my body according to right reason, to nourish my soul with Thy grace, and to walk as a faithful pilgrim toward that City whose Builder and Maker is God.
May every breath draw me nearer to Thee, every labor be offered for Thy glory, every suffering unite me more closely to the Cross of Christ, and every lesson learned from creation prepare my soul for the everlasting contemplation of its Creator.
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
Chapters
- 1The Body Was Made to Carry the Soul
- 2Hunger and Thirst
- 3The Breath of the Soul
- 4The Heart of the Pilgrim
- 5The Eyes of Faith
- 6The Ears of Obedience
- 7The Tongue and the Government of Words
- 8The Hands and Holy Labor
- The Pilgrim pausesLearning to Read the Book of Creation
- 9The Feet of the Pilgrim
- 10Bones and Doctrine
- 11Blood and Grace
- 12Wounds and Repentance
- 13Healing and Mercy
- 14Sleep and Divine Providence
- 15Death: The Last Lesson of the Body