Saturday,April 11

Cluster 19  ~  15th Cycle Expansion Phase – Day 1

Friends, please join us in reciting this prayer today to support the teaching we are engaged in during our expansion phase:

O God, my God! Thou art my Hope and my Beloved, my highest Aim and Desire! With great humbleness and entire devotion I pray to Thee to make me a minaret of Thy love in Thy land, a lamp of Thy knowledge among Thy creatures, and a banner of divine bounty in Thy dominion. 

Number me with such of Thy servants as have detached themselves from everything but Thee, have sanctified themselves from the transitory things of this world, and have freed themselves from the promptings of the voicers of idle fancies. 

Let my heart be dilated with joy through the spirit of confirmation from Thy kingdom, and brighten my eyes by beholding the hosts of divine assistance descending successively upon me from the kingdom of Thine omnipotent glory. 

Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the All-Powerful. 

– ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

 

And we share this quote for your reflection today:

By the righteousness of God!  Whoso openeth his lips in this Day and maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.   On him shall also descend the Concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light.  Thus hath it been foreordained in the realm of God’s Revelation, by the behest of Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful.

Bahá’u’lláh

Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 280

 

Friday, April 10

To the Bahá’í Friends in Cluster 19:

The 9-day expansion phase of the 15th cycle of our Intensive Program of Growth begins tomorrow.  For the next 10 days we will be making intensive efforts to share the Message of Bahá’u’lláh in a direct way with our friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.  Teaching teams will be meeting at several locations around the cluster on the next two weekends prior to going out to teach, in order to receive the support that comes from participating in a collective effort.  Some friends may also choose to do some door-to-door teaching.  As part of this campaign, we are hoping that all the Friends will support the teaching with a collective prayer effort by saying the Prayer for the Western States every day.  We will also be sending a prayer and a quote from the Writings to you via email every day during the expansion phase.  Our hope is that each of us will say the prayer and focus on the quote each day, and that through this participation, our hearts will be united every day of the 9 days of our expansion phase (Saturday, April 11 – Sunday, April 19).  Please remember to call on our dear Hand of the Cause William Sears for assistance during this cycle.  We are confident of the great spiritual forces that will be at work due to this united effort!

With warmest Baha’i greetings,

Your Cluster 19 Core Team

(Area Teaching Committee, Cluster Institute Coordinator, Auxiliary Board Members)

 

REVEALED TO THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE WESTERN STATES

The following commune is to be read … every day:

O God! O God! This is a broken-winged bird and his flight is very slow – assist him so that he may fly toward the apex of prosperity and salvation, wing his way with the utmost joy and happiness throughout the illimitable space, raise his melody in Thy Supreme Name in all the regions, exhilarate the ears with this call, and brighten the eyes by beholding the signs of guidance.

O Lord! I am single, alone and lowly. For me there is no support save Thee, no helper except Thee and no sustainer beside Thee. Confirm me in Thy service, assist me with the cohorts of Thy angels, make me victorious in the promotion of   Thy Word and suffer me to speak out Thy wisdom amongst Thy creatures. Verily, Thou art the helper of the weak and the defender of the little ones, and verily Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty and the Unconstrained.

 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

 

O Thou Whose nearness is my wish, Whose presence is my hope, Whose remembrance is my desire, Whose court of glory is my goal, Whose abode is my aim, Whose name is my healing, Whose love is the radiance of my heart, Whose service is my highest aspiration! I beseech Thee by Thy Name, through which Thou hast enabled them that have recognized Thee to soar to the sublimest heights of the knowledge of Thee and empowered such as devoutly worship  Thee to ascend into the precincts of the court of Thy holy favors, to aid me to turn my face towards Thy face, to fix mine eyes upon Thee, and to speak of Thy glory.

I am the one, O my Lord, who hath forgotten all else but Thee, and turned towards the Day-Spring of Thy grace, who hath forsaken all save Thyself in the hope of drawing nigh unto Thy court. Behold me, then, with mine eyes lifted up towards the Seat that shineth with the splendors of the light of Thy Face. Send down, then, upon me, O my Beloved, that which will enable me to be steadfast in Thy Cause, so that the doubts of the infidels may not hinder me from turning towards Thee.

Thou art, verily, the God of Power, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the Almighty.

                                                                                                                                Bahá’u’lláh

 

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Rain down, I beseech Thee, from the clouds of Thine overflowing grace, that which shall cleanse the hearts of Thy servants from whatever may prevent their beholding Thy face, or may prevent them from turning unto Thee, that they may all recognize Him Who is their Fashioner and Creator. Help them, then, O God, to reach forth, through the power of Thy sovereign might, towards such a station that they can readily distinguish  every foul smell from the fragrance of the raiment of Him Who is the Bearer of Thy most lofty and exalted name, that they may turn with all their affections toward Thee, and may enjoy such intimate communion with Thee that if all that is in heaven and on earth were given them they would regard it as unworthy of their notice, and would refuse to cease from remembering Thee and from extolling Thy virtues.

Shield, I pray Thee, O my Beloved, my heart’s Desire, Thy servant who hath sought Thy face, from the darts of them that have denied Thee and from the shafts of such as have repudiated Thy Truth. Cause him, then, to be wholly devoted to Thee, to declare Thy name, and to fix his gaze upon the sanctuary of Thy Revelation. Thou art, in truth, He Who, at no time, hath turned away those who have set their hopes in Thee from the door of Thy mercy, nor prevented such as have sought Thee from attaining the court of Thy grace. No God is there but Thee, the Most Powerful, the All-Highest, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the All-Compelling, the Unconditioned.

                                                                                                                                   Bahá’u’lláh

           Photo reproduced with permission of the Bahá’í International Community, http://media.bahai.org

 

 

Tehrán

          “mother of the world”

                                   

                                              “Day-spring of the Cause of God”

                                                             “fountain of His Revelation”

          “holy and shining city”

                                      “Abode of supreme blissfulness”

    

                                                        “land of resplendent glory”                 

          “source of the joy of all mankind”

 

             from Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh (Vol. 1), p. 47 by Adib Taherzadeh

 

 

The time will come when the followers of Bahá’u’lláh will live in peace in our spiritual homeland.

Let nothing grieve thee, O Land of Ta (Tihran), for God hath chosen thee to be the source of the joy of all mankind. He shall, if it be His Will, bless thy throne with one who will rule with justice, who will gather together the flock of God which the wolves have scattered. Such a ruler will, with joy and   gladness, turn his face towards, and extend his favors unto, the people of Baha. He indeed is accounted in the sight of God as a jewel among men. Upon him rest forever the glory of God, and the glory of all that dwell in the kingdom of His revelation.

Rejoice with great joy, for God hath made thee “the Day Spring 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 splendor, through which both earth and heaven have been illumined.

Ere long will the state of affairs within thee be changed, and the reins of power fall into the hands of the people. Verily, thy Lord is the All-Knowing. His authority embraceth all things. Rest thou assured in the gracious favor of thy Lord. The eye of His loving-kindness shall everlastingly be directed towards thee. The day is approaching when thy agitation will have been transmuted into peace and quiet calm. Thus hath it been decreed in the wondrous Book.

                                                                                                                                  Bahá’u’lláh

This pleasant garden spot outside of Akká was occasionally visited by Bahá’u’lláh and referred by Him as “Our Verdant Isle.” The river that once flowed around it is long gone, but at that time this was the entry point. The Universal House of Justice has plans to restore this Holy Place so that it is once again surrounded by water.

 

Join Bahá’ís in your area for Ridván Celebrations !

The Holy Days are:

The First Day of Ridván        April 21st

The Ninth Day of Ridván      April 29th

The Twelfth Day of Ridván   May 2nd

All Feasts have attained their consummation in the two Most Great Festivals, and in the two other Festivals that fall on the twin days — the first of the Most Great Festivals being those days whereon the All-Merciful shed upon the whole of creation the effulgent glory of His most excellent Names and His most exalted Attributes, and the second being that day on which We raised up the One Who announced unto mankind the glad tidings of this Name, through which the dead have been resurrected and all who are in the heavens and on earth have been gathered together. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Ordainer, the Omniscient.  

                                                                  Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas

 

This passage establishes four great festivals of the Bahá’í year. The two designated by Bahá’u’lláh as “the two Most Great Festivals” are, first, the Festival of Ridvan, which commemorates Bahá’u’lláh’s Declaration of His Prophetic Mission in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad during twelve days in April/May 1863 and is referred to by Him as “the  King of Festivals” and, second, the Báb’s Declaration, which occurred in May 1844 in Shiraz. The first, ninth and twelfth days of the Festival of Ridvan are Holy Days … as is the day of the Declaration of the Báb. The “two other Festivals” are the anniversaries of the births of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb. In the Muslim lunar calendar these fall on consecutive days, the birth of Bahá’u’lláh on the second day of the month of Muharram 1233 A.H. (12 November 1817), and the birth of the Bab on the first day of the same month 1235 A.H. (20 October 1819), respectively. They are thus referred to as the “Twin Birthdays” and Bahá’u’lláh states that these two days are accounted as one in the sight of God…  

Commentary from The Kitab-i-Aqdas

 

The passing to the Abhá Kingdom of Mary J. Langrall came to the Webmaster’s attention in the latest edition of The American Bahá’í (March/April 2009). Her passing was noted in the In Memoriam section, where it listed her passing as being on November 8, 2008, in Orange Park, Florida.  This must be a reference to Mary Jane Langrall, who I knew at the Bahá’í World Centre in the mid-1980’s. She served there for about a year as the secretary at the Purchasing Office, and then departed, telling us that she had received an offer to type the manuscript of a book for a member of her family. She was, so I was told, the aunt of actress Joanne Woodward and the in-law of Paul Newman. My memory of Mary Jane is that she was was most cheerful person I ever met. She was effusively, wonderfully cheerful. Cheerfulness radiated from her soul in her words, her tone of voice, and her demeanor. She was almost sunshine incarnate. If someone with a black cloud over their head met Mary Jane, just a minute in her presence would burn it away.  

 

Here is a prayer from Bahá’u’lláh in honor of Mary Jane.

Glory to Thee, O my God! One of Thy handmaidens, who hath believed in Thee and in Thy signs, hath entered beneath the shadow of the tree of Thy oneness. Give her to quaff, O my God, by Thy Name, the Manifest and the Hidden, of Thy choice sealed Wine that it may take her away from her own self, and make her to be entirely devoted to Thy remembrance, and wholly detached from any one beside Thee.

Now that Thou hast revealed unto her the knowledge of Thee, O my Lord, deny her not, by Thy bounty, Thy grace; and now that Thou hast called her unto Thyself, drive her not away from Thee, through Thy favor. Supply her, then, with that which excelleth all that can be found on Thine earth.  Thou art, verily, the Most Bountiful, Whose grace is immense.

Wert Thou to bestow on one of Thy creatures what would equal the kingdoms of earth and heaven, it would still not diminish by even as much as an atom the immensity of Thy dominion. Far greater art Thou than the Great One men are wont to call Thee, for such a title is but one of Thy names all of which were created by a mere indication of Thy will.

There is no God but Thee, the God of power, the God of glory, the God of knowledge and wisdom.

                                                                                                                                       Bahá’u’lláh