Tonight’s Prayer Station brought together four men from four different countries — Ethiopia, Turkmenistan, USA and Bulgaria. Hillary brought his guitar so the recorded music was replaced by live songs. The readings on the topic of the Advent stayed, and so did the prayers: from the promised prayer for Mr. Ian Semple, to the healing prayers requested for the daughter of a Kenyan friend, to prayers for the infant grandson of an Israeli friend who contacted me through this blog, to prayers for my loved ones. the banana bread was a hit and thankfully I baked two loaves, so one will be for my colleagues tomorrow.

May peace be with you all! And may your soul rejoices as you meet the Blessed Beauty, dear Mr. Semple!

In this day, to thank God for His bounties consisteth in possessing a radiant heart, and a soul open to the promptings of the spirit. This is the essence of thanksgiving.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 179)

The everlasting Candle shineth in its naked glory. Behold how it hath consumed every mortal veil. O ye moth-like lovers of His light! Brave every danger, and consecrate your souls to its consuming flame. O  ye that thirst after Him! Strip yourselves of every earthly affection, and hasten to embrace your Beloved. With a zest that none can equal make haste to attain unto Him. The Flower, thus far hidden from the sight of men, is unveiled to your eyes. In the open radiance of His glory He standeth before you. His voice summoneth all the holy and sanctified beings to come and be united with Him. Happy is he that turneth thereunto; well is it with him that hath attained, and gazed on the light of so wondrous a countenance.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 321)

Ye are the lights which shall be diffused; ye are the waves of that sea which shall spread and overflow the world. Each wave is precious to me, and my nostrils shall be gladdened by your remembrance. Another commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another even as I love you. Great mercy and blessings are promised to the people of your land, but on one condition; that their hearts be filled with the fire of love, that they live in perfect harmony and kindness like one soul in different bodies, like one soul in different bodies. Never forget this; look at one another with the eye of perfection; look at me, follow me, be as I am; take no thought for yourselves or your lives, whether ye eat or whether ye sleep, whether ye are comfortable, whether ye are well or ill, whether ye are with friends or foes, whether ye receive praise or blame; for all these things ye must care not at all. Look at me and be as I am; ye must die to yourselves and to the world, so ye shall be born again and enter the kingdom of heaven. Behold the candle, how it gives light. It weeps its life away drop by drop in order to give forth its flame of light. The time has come when we must part, but the separation is only of our bodies; in spirit we are united forever.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i Scriptures, p. 503)

I magnify Thy Name, O my God, and offer thanksgiving unto Thee, O my Desire, inasmuch as Thou hast enabled me to clearly perceive Thy straight Path, hast unveiled Thy Great Announcement before mine eyes and hast aided me to set my face towards the Dayspring of Thy Revelation and the Fountainhead of Thy Cause, whilst Thy servants and Thy people turned away from Thee. I entreat Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom of eternity, by the shrill voice of the Pen of Glory, and by the Burning Fire which calleth aloud from the verdant Tree, and by the Ark which Thou hast specially chosen for the people of Baha,  to grant that I may remain steadfast in my love for Thee, be well pleased with whatsoever Thou hast prescribed for me in Thy Book and may stand firm in Thy service and in the service of Thy loved ones. Graciously assist then Thy servants, O my God, to do that which will serve to exalt Thy Cause and will enable them to observe whatsoever Thou hast revealed in Thy Book.
(Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 116)

If you are in town the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I hope you would join me for fellowship and refreshments in preparation for the commemoration of the Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha. Bringing a meal you wish to share, would enrich the menu but coming with empty hands and stomach is perfectly OK too — I will cover the basics, just let me know if planning to come so I can plan accordingly.

To set the mood respectfully yet in communal spirit, we will have two options:

1) Community board game called “Spiritual Pursuit” which would test our knowledge of the Baha’i Faith, its teachings and history.

2) Baha’i movie marathon featuring (in the order the audience chooses):

• “The Promise of All Ages” – a documentary about the life of Baha’u'llah
• “The Noble Thief” – a moving one-man-play about the spiritual transformation of a flawed but sincere man through his growing love of Baha’u'llah
• “Pilgrimage: A Sacred Experience” – a beautiful video meditation on the sacred experience of Baha’i pilgrimage
• “Smith & Dragoman: Live in Concert” – a live recording of the concert performance of the talented Baha’i band Smith & Dragoman from Canada
• “Embrace the World Tour” – a documentary about the U.S. tour of an international group of talented Baha’i musicians bringing about the oneness of humanity through their music

The commemoration with prayers and devotional readings will be at 1 am on Sunday. Please contact me for directions if you plan on coming.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Night hath succeeded day, and day hath succeeded night, and the hours and moments of your lives have come and gone, and yet none of you hath, for one instant, consented to detach himself from that which perisheth. Bestir yourselves, that the brief moments that are still yours may not be dissipated and lost. Even as the swiftness of lightning your days shall pass, and your bodies shall be laid to rest beneath a canopy of dust. What can ye then achieve? How can ye atone for your past failure?

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 321)

I’ve had fascinating experiences these past weeks where on one hand I discovered beautiful friendships and experienced precious moments with loved ones yet was fully aware of how fleeting those moments are.  Taking photos of these moments is often my attempt to capture them and perhaps revisit them later and see them through different eyes but they still feel like different moments. This might be a paradox of living as a physical human being, immersed in a world in flux, with the awareness that my true self is of a different world, which is not fleeting — a world without time.

There is a certain subtle longing of the heart in appreciating a moment that you know will — sooner or later — be gone. Nothing could illustrate that better than my recent attempt to archive my laptop’s hard drive which resulted in the loss of thousands of photos I had taken of my lovely girls and other beautiful moments.  It was sudden, and it was gone… I was sad of course for losing those precious mementos but reminded myself that nothing, and nobody, can take away from me the moments where I have enjoyed life fully present, particularly when living it in the service of the ones I love. Just like this brilliant sand-dancing artist who brings us into the moment… and then the moment is gone… yet the beauty remains…

Was it because 9 people, among them two very young ladies, read beautiful selections from the Writings of Baha’u'llah? Was it because of the beautiful rendition of “Blessed Is The Spot” presented by a trio of Mesbah’s violin, Dom’s guitar and harmonizing voice, and the singing of yours truly, started the musical program? Was it simply because a great spirit of love and fellowship was clearly present among us? Whatever it was, my heart was filled with joy!

Happy Celebration of the Birth of Baha’u'llah!

Rejoice with great joy, for God hath made thee “the Dayspring of His light,” inasmuch as within thee was born the Manifestation of His Glory. Be thou glad for this name that hath been conferred upon thee – a name through which the Day-star of grace hath shed its splendour, through which both earth and heaven have been illumined.
(Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 53)

If ye were aware of what God hath destined for you in the kingdom of His glory, verily ye would rejoice exceedingly and soar with the wings of joy unto the heights of happiness, crying with the most loud voice: “Blessings and happiness from this great attainment and evident bounty.”
(Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha v1, p. 69)

I have always felt a deep connection with this young Personage, whose life we will be studying in the Ruhi 4 study circle. Major Baha’i Holy Days have always coincided with major turning points in my life, whether I have been aware of that at the time or not. I honored this Holy Day by participating in a lovely celebration among friends, reminiscing with gratitude on the priceless gift of protection the Covenant of the Baha’i Faith provides us with, and singing songs of praise with singers of multiple generations.

My dear girls were not able to be at the celebration, so later on I went to visit them at their after school program to hug them, kiss  them and share with them a treat from the celebration,  encouraging them to make their own celebration at home.

Caring for my precious daughters has been a beautiful way of getting to know myself, and of growing for them and with them.

The Bab was the Gate to the knowledge of God, thus to the knowledge of our true selves. May we all live ever more knowledgeable of ourselves, and of God!

O My God! Thou art the All-Bountiful, Whose grace is infinite. Withhold not Thy servants from the most mighty Ocean, which Thou hast made the repository of the pearls of Thy knowledge and Thy wisdom, and turn them not away from Thy gate, which Thou hast opened wide before all who are in Thy heaven and all who are on Thy earth. O Lord! Leave them not to themselves, for they understand not and flee from that which is better for them than all that Thou hast created upon Thine earth. Cast upon them, O My God, the glances of the eye of Thy favour and bounty, and deliver them from self and passion, that they may draw nigh unto Thy most exalted Horizon, taste the sweetness of Thy remembrance, and delight in that bread which Thou hast sent down from the heaven of Thy Will and the firmament of Thy grace. From everlasting Thy bounty hath embraced the entire creation and Thy mercy hath surpassed all things. No God is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
(Baha’u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 104)

If you want to see the brave, look for those who can forgive. If you want to see the heroic, look at those who can love in return for hatred.
(Bhagavad Gita – Hindu scripture)

The afflictions which come to humanity sometimes tend to centre the consciousness upon the limitations, and this is a veritable prison. Release comes by making of the will a Door through which the confirmations of the Spirit come… The confirmations of the Spirit are all those powers and gifts which some are born with (and which men sometimes call genius), but for which others have to strive with infinite pains. They come to that man or woman who accepts his life with radiant acquiescence.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 120)

O Friends of the Pure and Omnipotent God! To be pure and holy in all things is an attribute of the consecrated soul and a necessary characteristic of the unenslaved mind. The best of perfections is immaculacy and the freeing of oneself from every defect. Once the individual is, in every respect, cleansed and purified, then will he become a focal centre reflecting the Manifest Light.

First in a human being’s way of life must be purity, then freshness, cleanliness, and independence of spirit. First must the stream bed be cleansed, then may the sweet river waters be led into it. Chaste eyes enjoy the beatific vision of the Lord and know what this encounter meaneth; a pure sense inhaleth the fragrances that blow from the rose gardens of His grace; a burnished heart will mirror forth the comely face of truth.

This is why, in Holy Scriptures, the counsels of heaven are likened to water, even as the Qur’án saith: ‘And pure water send We down from Heaven,’[1] and the Gospel: ‘Except a man be baptized of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.’[2] Thus is it clear that the Teachings which come from God are heavenly outpourings of grace; they are rain-showers of divine mercy, and they cleanse the human heart.

[1 Qur'án 25:50 ]

[2 cf. John 3:5 ]

Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 146.

Know thou that all the powers combined have not the power to establish universal peace, nor to withstand the overmastering dominion, at every time and season, of these endless wars. Erelong, however, shall the power of heaven, the dominion of the Holy Spirit, hoist on the high summits the banners of love and peace, and there above the castles of majesty and might shall those banners wave in the rushing winds that blow out of the tender mercy of God.

- Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha