Befriended Stranger

Badasht is not just a CD anymore. As JB Eckl and Eric Dozier were sharing (and implicitly promising) during the Baha’i Thanksgiving Conference last November, the idea is encourage the use of arts in our devotionals and to enhance our community lives through music and participatory creativity. Here comes “Badasht Community“, a website providing “practical tools for enhancing the worship experience of the Bahá’í community worldwide and to promote  the implementation of the arts at the grassroots level”. The site features a growing collection of beautiful Baha’i songs, along with instructions and chords for guitar and piano:

• Say God Sufficeth
• He Maketh Victorious
• If Thou Lovest Me
• Unity Prayer
• Meek & Lowly
• Whither Can a Lover Go
• Ye Are the Stars
• As Ye Have Faith
• These Great Oppressions
• Fire & Water
• Remover of Difficulties

Truly amazing resources and generosity! Thank God for Baha’i artists!

Today a dear friend posted an old photo on Facebook; a photo which brought memories of one of the first and most concrete experiences of the power of prayer I’ve ever had.

It was the end of the summer of 1991, a summer which brought the Baha’i Faith to my hometown, when a group of Baha’i youth, having served for a year at the Holy Land and before their return to the United States, blessed my home (and hometown) with their presence, and stayed for the summer to share their love for Baha’u'llah.

To celebrate the joy of our friendship, we organized a trip to the Rila Mountain, to visit the Rila Monastery and the Seven Rila Lakes. The hike was long and quite exhausting for we arrived at the mountain lodge way past sunset but the vista in the morning was well worth it. We said morning prayers near the lake and after some snacks started decending down the mountain slopes to the closest village where we could catch a bus back to the city.

What was our surprise when we saw the last bus pass us without even stopping. What used to be an adventure turned into an anxious concern, as we had to deliver safely home on time, as promised, a group of youth whose parents had entrusted us with.

Then somebody suggested we say prayers (I remember thinking, “You guys are totally out of your mind! How would a prayer help,  when we need a bus?”):

Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!
- The Báb

The moment the prayer was said, out of nowhere a little bus showed up. We were stunned but we were able to rent it. We arrived at the train station on time, took the train and made it safely to my hometown…

So, there we are in that blast from the past photo, sitting in the bus, having just experienced the power of prayer, traveling safely back home:

Thou seest, O my Lord, this stranger hastening to his most exalted home beneath the canopy of Thy majesty and within the precincts of Thy mercy; and this transgressor seeking the ocean of Thy forgiveness; and this lowly one the court of Thy glory; and this poor creature the orient of Thy wealth.
- Bahá’u'lláh

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth a million words. But what if these are words by the Blessed Beauty:

Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world’s afflictions can in no wise alarm me.
(Baha’u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah, p. 207)

A powerful new video of a beautiful new song by Devon Gundry:

Devon Gundry - “Armed” from Justin Baldoni on Vimeo.

Spiritual laws work, just as the laws of physics. Today I have witnessed a powerful proof of God’s Justice. I know God is merciful too but there is a certain resignation and relief in knowing that His Justice is also unfailing. I don’t want to write much; just to remember this day.

He who dealeth faithlessly with God shall in justice meet with faithlessness himself; he, however, who acteth in accordance with God’s bidding shall receive a blessing from the heaven of the bounty of his Lord, the Gracious, the Bestower, the Generous, the Ancient of Days.
(Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 55)

Nothing is accidental in my life, it seems, including the timing of the events, for today is the Birth of Baha’u'llah. Very timely too, is this video of the song “The bird which soareth” by Elika Mahony:

O My servants! Could ye apprehend with what wonders of My munificence and bounty I have willed to entrust your souls, ye would, of a truth, rid yourselves of attachment to all created things, and would gain a true knowledge of your own selves — a knowledge which is the same as the comprehension of Mine own Being. Ye would find yourselves independent of all else but Me, and would perceive, with your inner and outer eye, and as manifest as the revelation of My effulgent Name, the seas of My loving-kindness and bounty moving within you. Suffer not your idle fancies, your evil passions, your insincerity and blindness of heart to dim the luster, or stain the sanctity, of so lofty a station. Ye are even as the bird which soareth, with the full force of its mighty wings and with complete and joyous confidence, through the immensity of the heavens, until, impelled to satisfy its hunger, it turneth longingly to the water and clay of the earth below it, and, having been entrapped in the mesh of its desire, findeth itself impotent to resume its flight to the realms whence it came. Powerless to shake off the burden weighing on its sullied wings, that bird, hitherto an inmate of the heavens, is now forced to seek a dwelling-place upon the dust. Wherefore, O My servants, defile not your wings with the clay of waywardness and vain desires, and suffer them not to be stained with the dust of envy and hate, that ye may not be hindered from soaring in the heavens of My divine knowledge.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 326)

Last night’s celebration of the Baha’i Shrines becoming UNESCO World Heritage Sites was an outstanding event. It was both inspiring and humbling to watch a beautiful video presentation about the Baha’i Holy Sites and to hear Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing reflect on the significance of the sites and their recognition by UNESCO, and Anita Chapman — who is a such a treasure herself — share stories about the outstanding services her father, Leroy Ioas, rendered for the Baha’i Faith and the world. It amazes me how many people of outstanding capacity live in this community and how their achievements is enhanced by their extreme humility. Among the audience, very unassuming, was Mr. Glenford Mitchell, who until recently served on the Universal House of Justice! Indeed, accomplishments not only in this physical world, but even in the world of spiritual service are relative. Sovaida, after being introduced so eloquently by the MC, made a joke that all her titles would mean nothing one day when she is to meet her Maker; what will matter is the virtues developed, the services rendered, and the true bonds of love with other human beings.

Last night was also a happy occassion to celebrate another bond of love — that of a new believer in the Teachings of Baha’u'llah. Rakesha had seen a TV ad about the Baha’i Faith years ago, when she was still in Louisiana. The message of the oneness of God and His ever unfolding religion, and the promise for unity in diversity had resonated with her and she kept it in her heart for a long time until recently she connected with us through the Arlington Baha’i website. Having exchanged emails with Nancy, she eagerly joined us for one of the Prayer Station devotional gathering. A number of obstacles had prevented her from participating in the Ruhi 1 study circle so far but she kept on reading the books we had given her, and she kept on sharing her inspired insights with us. I had felt very strongly that on November 10th we were going to have another declaration and sure enough that is what happened. I arranged to meet with Rakesha after work; we sat at a cafe and while waiting for our ride we went over the first third of the Visual (Anna’s) Presentation up to this quote by Abdu’l Baha:

Bahá’u'lláh has drawn the circle of unity, He has made a design for the uniting of all the peoples, and for the gathering of them all under the shelter of the tent of universal unity. This is the work of the Divine Bounty, and we must all strive with heart and soul until we have the reality of unity in our midst, and as we work, so will strength be given unto us.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 53)

When I asked Rakesha what she felt about this all, she said “I don’t know what to say, I agree with everything”; when I asked her if she would like to join us in our work for unity, she said yes, and right there and then signed her declaration card. As she was writing her name on the card, Nancy and Trey called to say that they were waiting for us across the street, where we all embraced our new sister in Faith. During the ride to American University, Rakesha and I completed the presentation and by the time we arrived, we all were truly ready to celebrate.

Wert thou to incline thine inner ear unto all created things, thou wouldst hear: “The Ancient of Days is come in His great glory!” Everything celebrateth the praise of its Lord.
(Baha’u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 60)

I’ve been longing for peace of heart today. I found the perfect quote to guide me:

The purpose underlying the revelation of every heavenly Book, nay, of every divinely-revealed verse, is to endue all men with righteousness and understanding, so that peace and tranquility may be firmly established amongst them. Whatsoever instilleth assurance into the hearts of men, whatsoever exalteth their station or promoteth their contentment, is acceptable in the sight of God. How lofty is the station which man, if he but choose to fulfill his high destiny, can attain! To what depths of degradation he can sink, depths which the meanest of creatures have never reached! Seize, O friends, the chance which this Day offereth you, and deprive not yourselves of the liberal effusions of His grace. I beseech God that He may graciously enable every one of you to adorn himself, in this blessed Day, with the ornament of pure and holy deeds. He, verily, doeth whatsoever He willeth.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 205)

Friday movie night was dedicated to Tinkerbell, “the spunky, rebellious, impatient, impulsive, determined, persistent, temperamental… yet still charming and lovable fairy” which was born out of Disney’s unlimited ability to branch out stories and produce brand-able characters. Tinkerbell, like all other fairies, is given a unique talent symbolized, in her case, by a… hammer. When she discovers the meaning of this all, she is quite disappointed. For she is a tinkering fairy, not a “fancy” one. Tinkering fairies are basically the engineering type fairies — hardworking, creative (but not in the artistic sense, rather in the fixing things sense). The problem is, Tinkerbell really wants to be somebody else; in fact, she would want to be any kind of fairy but the tinkering one.

The movie is fun, at times even funny. I hope it will be embraced by organizations striving to encourage girls to go into engineering for I well remember when I was in my electronics design class there were only three girls out of a class of ninety…

Back to Tinkerbell and the moral of her story… She chases a dream: to go to the Mainland where humans live. And she is so eager to get there, she would try to learn any other fairy’s skill (no matter how incapable she might be at that) in order to prove that she is worthy of being allowed the flight back to the world of humans. So she tries being others, miserably fails at anything that is not her true calling, all along ignoring her own talents, always wishing for something others have. Finally, through tests and difficulties, she is given an opportunity to use her so-far-ignored but true talent in service to others and… she finds happiness.

If this all sounds like a Disney movie, well, it is a Disney movie. But it delighted me with the message that finding who you are and being content with that is so important, for you can never predict the wonderful adventures ahead of you. Pity the ones who are neither aware of their true self, nor able to find happiness in it.

True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his self.
(Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 155)

17. O SON OF MAN!

Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper. For none but Me can ever suffice thee.
(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

As I am observing the world-wide reaction to the presidential elections in the U.S. and Baha’i Perspectives‘ timely reminder of the inspired source of all the changes we observe in the world today, I think that the “Anthem for the World” by Matthew Levine is a wonderful soundtrack for today:

Around the world as we assemble in every mosque and church and temple,
we intone our dedication to become one congregation.
Now the sun of truth has risen. We will break out of our prison
God of mercy! God of thunder! Help is tear the wall assunder.
No more living in a house divided, lost in the dead of the night.
As one people we will stand united, holding onto the light.

One by one these chains are broken as the word of love is spoken.
From our slumber we awaken with a faith that can’t be shaken.
For in our hearts there builds a fire. In our soul chants heaven’s choir.
Here’s our moment, now or never. One for all and all together.
No more living in a house divided, lost in the dead of the night.
As one people we will stand united, holding onto the light.

The heavens will hail when the day is done.
And love will prevail if it takes a million broken hearts to beat as one, as one.
No more living in a house divided, lost in the dead of the night.
As one people we will stand united, holding onto the light, the light.

The field is indeed so immense, the period so critical, the Cause so great, the workers so few, the time so short, the privilege so priceless, that no follower of the Faith of Baha’u'llah, worthy to bear His name, can afford a moment’s hesitation. That God-born Force, irresistible in its sweeping power, incalculable in its potency, unpredictable in its course, mysterious in its workings, and awe-inspiring in its manifestations — a Force which, as the Bab has written, “vibrates within the innermost being of all created things,” and which, according to Baha’u'llah, has through its “vibrating influence,” “upset the equilibrium of the world and revolutionized its ordered life” — such a Force, acting even as a two-edged sword, is, under our very eyes, sundering, on the one hand, the age-old ties which for centuries have held together the fabric of civilized society, and is unloosing, on the other, the bonds that still fetter the infant and as yet unemancipated Faith of Baha’u'llah. The undreamt-of opportunities offered through the operation of this Force — the American believers must now rise, and fully and courageously exploit them.
Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice

I don’t want to get the impression that I am indifferent to the momentous events happening tonight in this great American democracy — I do care. That is the reason before going to wait in line for two hours and vote, I started my morning by reading this prayer by Abdu’l-Baha:

O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad-tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

But while all the TV pundits keep on updating their maps and statistics, I want to offer a different perspective, and write about a couple of things that are as important, if not more –  to me personally, at least — particularly as far as statistics and maps go:

Last night at Feast we heard extremely encouraging statistics: in our cluster there are now 7 ongoing children classes (in addition to 4 more that have been on pause), and in these active classes there are 25 Baha’i children and 53 non-Baha’i children. This is truly outstanding since it is only few months ago that the closing of One World Baha’i School brought a lot of anxiety to the community. Nobody could have predicted that this outward orientation will produce such good results. Good job to all children classes teachers and the coordinators! We do live in changing times, indeed!

On the subject of maps, the 41 regional Baha’i conferences have been announced and one has already taken place in Lusaka, Zambia! For a truly global perspective, see the map below! For truly inspiring news, follow http://news.bahai.org! We do live in interesting times, indeed!