Befriended Stranger

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” (King James Bible, 2 Peter, 1:2-3)

“We cherish the hope that the Hand of divine power may lend its assistance to mankind and deliver it from its state of grievous abasement.” (Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 86)

Dear friends!

What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, food cooked with love, tea poured in peace, cake shared with smile? Whatever the answer might be, sharing prayers with friends gets us all closer to the Creator and recharges us for the week ahead.

I invite you and your loves ones to the regular Monday evening interfaith Prayer Station! I have many books of prayers from different faith traditions but if you wish, feel free to bring your own prayer.

We’ll start at 7 pm with light refreshments followed by reading, at 7:30 pm, of selected Holy Writings from diverse religions on the theme of Divine Power. We’ll also uplift and refresh our souls with music, and offer prayers as the spirit moves us.  We’ll conclude with tea and cake.

We’ll also say prayers for anyone in need, so if you can’t join us and would like to request prayers please contact me.

Persevere thou in helping His Cause through the strengthening power of the hosts of wisdom and utterance. Thus hath it been decreed by God, the Gracious, the All-Praised. Blessed is the believer who hath in this Day embraced the Truth and the man of fixed resolve whom the hosts of tyranny have been powerless to affright.
(Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 249)

Just as I was getting discouraged about my Ruhi 2 study circle, things are starting to pick up. We are moving along, having wonderful discussions and preparing for the first home visit next Wednesday and for the cluster reflection meeting on Saturday! God is all glorious and never gives up on us!

We entreat God to deliver the light of equity and the sun of justice from the thick clouds of waywardness, and cause them to shine forth upon men. No light can compare with the light of justice. The establishment of order in the world and the tranquillity of the nations depend upon it.
- Baha’u'llah

Dear friends!

In support of the United For Iran day of action, I invite you and your loves ones to the regular Monday evening interfaith Prayer Station!

We’ll start at 7 pm with light refreshments followed, at 7:30 pm, by prayers for all citizens of Iran, in support for their basic human rights and in particularl for the safety of our Baha’i sisters and brothers. We’ll also uplift and refresh our souls with music, and offer prayers as the spirit moves us.  We’ll conclude with tea and cake.

We’ll also say prayers for anyone in need, so if you can’t join us and  would like to request prayers please contact me.

From Monday’s Prayer Station readings:

(Now) when a man sets out on a journey, he takes provisions with him;
If it be for one day’s march, he takes provisions for two days;
If it be for two days’ march, he takes provisions for three;
If it be for ten days’ march, he takes provisions for fifteen;
And he thinks that he will come back in health to his well-beloved friends, parents, and brethren.

How then is it that men take no provisions for that unavoidable journey,
On which one must go once for all, for all eternity?

(Zoroastrianism, The Zend-Avesta)

The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a (small) heap of earth;
the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step.

(Taoism, Tao Te Ching)

O Thou, my God! Who guidest the seeker to the pathway that leadeth aright, Who deliverest the lost and blinded soul out of the wastes of perdition, Thou Who bestowest upon the sincere great bounties and favors, Who guardest the frightened within Thine impregnable refuge, Who answerest, from Thine all-highest horizon, the cry of those who cry out unto Thee. Praised be Thou, O my Lord! Thou hast guided the distracted out of the death of unbelief, and hast brought those who draw nigh unto Thee to the journey’s goal, and hast rejoiced the assured among Thy servants by granting them their most cherished desires, and hast, from Thy Kingdom of beauty, opened before the faces of those who yearn after Thee the gates of reunion, and hast rescued them from the fire of deprivation and loss – so that they hastened unto Thee and gained Thy presence, and arrived at Thy welcoming door, and received of gifts an abundant share.

(Bahá’í Faith, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá)

It’s never too late to start preparing for the unavoidable journey. Would you join me?

On this Baha’i Rights Day, day of awareness of the denial of human rights to Baha’s in the cradle of this world-unifying religion, we sigh with relief — the trial of the 7 Iranian Baha’i leaders has been postponed. But can you imagine the prolonged agony and anxiety of not knowing what will happen next? Can you imagine the spiritual strength these souls must have acquired in their reliance on God alone? Can you imagine how they must face moments of weakness when it would be only natural to wonder if they are forgotten — by the world, by the friends, by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, by Baha’u'llah, by God?

Many creative people have shared their inspiration online — see this video of Elika Mahony’s beautiful song “Persecution“:

or this video adopted from the award winning movie “Persepolis”:

But what most personally touches my heart these days, probably because I relate to it on a very deep level, is the beautiful, touching song “Forgotten” by Grant Hindin Miller:

The cell was like a kennel, they dropped him like a dog
Staring at cold metal, in a blurred and darkened fog
Plucked from his own work-place, innocent of crime
Taken, shaken, in the late daylight

The prison was a chasm, wind was in the yard
They took him out an hour each day, herded by the guards
Shuffling over concrete, with the other inmates there
Not allowed to speak in open air

And the iron bars, dark and hard, spider-webbed, human cage
Especially when evening came, they drilled into his brain

Left alone in shadow, not knowing noon from night
Mealtimes infrequent, rudimentary slop
The cell was cramped, inhuman, with a never-ending smell
He tried to pray, but every day, his thoughts went to himself

I’m forgotten, I’m forsaken, I’ve been left here on my own
I’m forgotten, I’m forsaken, left here to die alone

Cut off from his family, cut off from his friends
Where was Baha’u'llah, now he needed Him
Even Abdu’l-Baha, neglected where he was
He felt his consciousness slip down – to the abyss

I’m forgotten, I’m forsaken, You have left me on my own
I’m forgotten, my faith is shaken, left here to die alone

In the yard a prisoner brushed against his arm
No bigger than a finger-nail, something squeezed between his palms
And in his cell when guards had gone, he found it like a star
The torn-off photograph of Abdu’l-Baha

And words arose, in the Master’s tone, stirred up from long ago
Learnt by heart in a children’s class, now they echoed in his cell
“Do not think that ye are forgotten, for one moment, do not think
Do not think that ye are forgotten, for one moment, do not think ”

And the iron bars, like candelabras, they dissolved in a rosy gold
Angels soared within his soul, as the words spoke to his heart

“Do not think that ye are forgotten, for one moment, do not think
Do not think that ye are forgotten, for one moment, do not think.“

Say: I only follow my Lord’s utterances to me. This is a clear proof on the part of your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy for those who believe.
(The Qur’an (Rodwell tr), Sura   7 – Al Araf)

O SON OF MY HANDMAID!
Quaff from the tongue of the merciful the stream of divine mystery, and behold from the dayspring of divine utterance the unveiled splendor of the daystar of wisdom. Sow the seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of the heart, and water them with the waters of certitude, that the hyacinths of knowledge and wisdom may spring up fresh and green from the holy city of the heart.
(Baha’u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

Dear friends!

What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, food cooked with love, tea poured in peace, cake shared with smile? Whatever the answer might be, sharing prayers with friends gets us all closer to the Creator and recharges us for the week ahead.

I invite you and your loves ones to the regular Monday evening interfaith Prayer Station!

I have many books of prayers from different faith traditions but if you wish, feel free to bring your own prayer.

We’ll start at 7 pm with light refreshments followed by reading, at 7:30 pm, of selected Holy Writings from diverse religions on the theme of Divine Utterance. We’ll also uplift and refresh our souls with music, and offer prayers as the spirit moves us.  We’ll conclude with tea and cake.

We’ll also say prayers for anyone in need, so if you can’t join us and would like to request prayers, please contact me!

Two years and a half ago when I started this blog, I had no idea that befriending strangers would become so vital to my growth and health. Tonight, observing the discussion during the Ruhi 2 study circle I host and facilitate on Wednesdays made me aware that I have indeed gained friends on whom I have come to rely. Such friendships in times of difficulties have been a gentle reminder of the One True Friend:

Glory be to Thee, O my God! Thou hearest Thine ardent lovers lamenting in their separation from Thee, and such as have recognized Thee wailing because of their remoteness from Thy presence. Open Thou outwardly to their faces, O my Lord, the gates of Thy grace, that they may enter them by Thy leave and in conformity with Thy will, and may stand before the throne of Thy majesty, and catch the accents of Thy voice, and be illumined with the splendors of the light of Thy face.

Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. None can withstand the power of Thy sovereign might. From everlasting Thou wert alone, with none to equal Thee, and wilt unto everlasting remain far above all thought and every description of Thee. Have mercy, then, upon Thy servants by Thy grace and bounty, and suffer them not to be kept back from the shores of the ocean of Thy nearness. If Thou abandonest them, who is there to befriend them; and if Thou puttest them far from Thee, who is he that can favor them? They have none other Lord beside Thee, none to adore except Thyself. Deal Thou generously with them by Thy bountiful grace.

Thou, in truth, art the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.

(Baha’u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah, p. 72)

How fitting then to receive tonight this message:

The Bahá’í Faith is a member of the InterFaith Conference (IFC) of Metropolitan Washington through the Spiritual Assembly of Washington, D.C.

In the last two years they have trained many individuals as moderators in interfaith dialogue and are currently engaged in setting up hosts and groups of people (10-12 for each location) to hold interfaith dialogue.  This process involves a host who serves dinner to 10-12 strangers who have indicated through the IFC that they are interested in these dialogues.

The dinner/dialogue is scheduled for the evening of Sunday, Aug 9. If you would like to participate as either a host (the people will come to your home for dinner), or as a guest, please go to the following site and fill out the form.

Oh,  how I hope to be given a chance to become a host. Wouldn’t it be great to serve dinner to a dozen of strangers and talk about Faith?