Befriended Stranger

This morning’s NPR piece on the geography of friendship inspired a welcome recollection of the wonderful old friendships I still hold dear to my heart and miss, but it was also a fitting metaphor for the spiritual friendships which I am forging in ways that are unexplainable to me. For I have no idea why certain friends persist on being friends when others have long ago left me.  Either way, I am grateful for them all.

Tonight’s Prayer Station was visited by Milli, my latina teaching partner whose presence always makes me feel at home at my own home, and Wil, a gentleman whom I met at the Arlington County Fair, at the Arlington Baha’i booth. He had been introduced to the Baha’i Faith in 1968 and attended firesides in Wilmette, IL. He admitted of having difficulty praying. I told him that I did not growing up with the practice of praying either but I invited him to conduct a scientific experiment of reading each day a prayer from the prayer book I gave him and observe what happens. I also invited him to the big event dedicated to raising awareness of the plight of the Baha’is of Iran. While he seems to enjoy visiting the Universalist Unitarian Church, he indicated good interest in attending my prayer meeting on alternate Mondays. He himself marveled how he passed by the Arlington Baha’i booth many times in previous years but never connected with the Baha’is then, besides even if he had been invited to an event then, he would have probably found it difficult to attend as he does not have a car but today, the Prayer Station being held only a few blocks away from his house, there was no reason to postpone anymore finishing what he started in 1968. God is patient!

Help them through Thy strengthening grace, I beseech Thee, O my God, to suffer patiently in their love for Thee, and unveil to their eyes what Thou hast decreed for them behind the Tabernacle of Thine unfailing protection, so that they may rush forward to meet what is preordained for them in Thy path, and may vie in hasting after tribulation in their love towards Thee.
(Baha’u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah, p. 158)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
(King James Bible, Romans, 8:28)

The Divine Messengers have been sent down, and their Books were revealed, for the purpose of promoting the knowledge of God, and of furthering unity and fellowship amongst men
(Baha’u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 12)

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.

This Monday, August 31st, I invite you and your loves ones to the regular interfaith Prayer Station in Arlington! 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 7:30 pm with light refreshments followed by reading, at 8:00 pm, of selected Holy Writings from diverse religions on the theme of Divine Purpose. 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.

I was born in a country (Bulgaria) which ratified the global treaty on women’s rights (CEDAW) at its inception but now I live in one of the eight countries (Iran, Nauru, Palau, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Tonga, USA) which has not ratified it yet. If you can guess which country I live in and you happen to live in the same country, please call your senators at 202-224-3121 and tell them that for the love of their mother at least, they should ratify the CEDAW treaty for the Rights of Women today!

As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibility, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs.
– ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

To the tidings of Bahá’u'lláh’s advent his soul replied; to the drum beat, “Am I not your Lord?” his heart drummed back: “Yea, verily!”
(Abdu’l-Baha, Memorials of the Faithful, p. 151)

An interesting, delightful evening. As I was washing dishes and preparing for the Prayer Station with one friend, another one called me and asked me if she could come along with a man she just met at the library. I said “Sure, come along”. So we had our prayer meeting with a jazz drummer, Bruce, who had helped her in the library and to whom she had given a Baha’i teaching card which had let to a conversation about what the Baha’i Faith was.

We shared a meal, we shared prayers, songs and stories about music and how it can touch our hearts and how it is so universal and so elevating, and how music can so elloquently illustrate the surprising realization that race is just a cultural and not divine concept since a white man from Sweden can play Delta blues as if he grew up in Mississippi… Such a delight, to spend an evening with newly discovered cousins!

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
(King James Bible, Luke, 1:30)

O My servants! It behoveth you to refresh and revive your souls through the gracious favors which, in this Divine, this soul-stirring Springtime, are being showered upon you.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 167)

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.

This Monday, August 17th, I invite you and your loves ones to the regular interfaith Prayer Station in Arlington! 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 7:30 pm with light refreshments followed by reading, at 8:00 pm, of selected Holy Writings from diverse religions on the theme of Divine Favor. 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.

Every faith is amazing! And as one of the participants in tonight’s Amazing Faith Dinner Dialogue noted, faith is more than the absense of a doubt. Faith is what shapes us from within and propels us into action without, reaching out to the world and its citizens and sharing a smile. Smile, as another participant noted, is contagious. And so is peaceful dialogue.

Let all associate, therefore, in this great human garden even as flowers grow and blend together side by side without discord or disagreement between them.
(Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 68)

Blessed by the help of wonderful friends who helped with cooking the most delicious vegetarian food one could hope for, I was able to host the wonderful Dinner Dialogue organized by the Interfaith Conference of the Metropolitan Washington (IFC). This was not the largest but certainly most diverse group I have ever hosted at my humble abode. The moderator, a young intern with the IFC is Protestant Christian but his girlfriend is Baha’i. There were two Muslim ladies, one a school teacher from Bangladesh and the other one, a poet from Indonesia, and there was a young Catholic woman who works on conflict resolution through fostering dialogue and understanding with the Islamic religious schools of Pakistan.

The dinner was followed by a moderated dialogue during which we all were asked to answer questions prepared in advanced, randing from how personal our relationship with God is, through the role of our faith communities in getting us through difficult times, to the nature of evil and our personal role in confronting it, whatever its source may be.

As everyone confirmed at the end of the dialogue, inter-religious peace is not only possible but inevitable, as it is the goal of our Creator. It was a perfect opportunity for me to invite my guests to the Monday Prayer Station and many of them expressed interest in attending.

One can only be grateful for the wonderful times we live in, times of openness and curiosity and sharing and appreciating.

May God bless us all, no matter what our religion of origin maybe, because the religion of our destination is the same:

This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 136)

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
(King James Bible, John, 15:12 – 14)

O MY FRIENDS!
Walk ye in the ways of the good pleasure of the Friend, and know that His pleasure is in the pleasure of His creatures. That is: no man should enter the house of his friend save at his friend’s pleasure, nor lay hands upon his treasures nor prefer his own will to his friend’s, and in no wise seek an advantage over him. Ponder this, ye that have insight!
(Baha’u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words #43)

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 on August 10th 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 the Divine Friend. 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.

“That was lovely”, was everybody’s feedback on tonight’s home visit, the first one for our Ruhi 2 study circle. Our hostess was Nancy, a wonderful lady who lately has not been able to attend Baha’i activities because she is talking care of her 96 year old aunt, also named Nancy.

We had a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the value of fostering bonds of friendship that is not limited to 19th Day Feast introductions alone. Then again, that is the idea of a study circle, isn’t it? Our hostess seemed very pleased with our visit as we shared news from the community and encouraged each other to steadfastly continue to study and serve. She even expressed an interest in hosting a Feast, although everything depends on the condition of her ailing aunt. So, please keep two Nancys in your prayers — our host and her aunt.

The other highlight today was the news at work that I will be relocated to a new office in order to be able to gather my growing team in a single area. While being in proximity with all my teammates is great, I had to take a deep breath and take in with a good dose of detachment the small detail that from a “window office” I am moving to a room with artificial light. While I was initially unhappy about the move, I forced myself to look at it as an opportunity to serve better and be mature about this all, so there you have it — dealing with life as it comes. Considering that The Bab during his imprisonment had no light for years, puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? Besides, this situation gave me an opportunity to share with my boss one of my most favorite quotes:

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 284)

My boss’ response? “That was lovely”