Wanderings

There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to God’s Manifestation in His Day, to hear His verses and believe in them, to attain His presence, which is naught but the presence of God, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits of the paradise of His divine Oneness.

~ The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 77

Today is a Baha’i holiday commemorating the day in which the Báb was executed for his beliefs.  It always reminds me of one of his young followers, known as Anís, who threw himself at the feet of the Báb and begged to be killed alongside him the night before his execution.  Consequently, Anís was arrested, jailed and sent to the firing squad alongside the Báb.  This story always makes me wonder if I would have such faith.

On the Dawnbreaker Collective CD Arise, Tara Ellis sings a beautiful song about Anis.

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Praise be unto Thee, O Lord. Forgive us our sins, have mercy upon us and enable us to return unto Thee. Suffer us not to rely on aught else besides Thee, and vouchsafe unto us, through Thy bounty, that which Thou lovest and desirest and well beseemeth Thee. Exalt the station of them that have truly believed, and forgive them with Thy gracious forgiveness. Verily, Thou art the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

~ The Báb, Baha’i Prayer

Forgiveness is a common theme in prayers from religions all around the world.  I suppose that is because, try as we might, we can never live our lives free from sin.  We are imperfect.  However, we are not expected to.  That is why God forgives us.  If there were not a struggle to live our lives properly and free from sin, than there would be no achievement in it.

TeacherJay Báb, The, Prayers forgiveness, prayer, sin

Thou pridest thyself in the things thou dost possess, yet no believer in God and in His signs, nor any righteous man would ever deign to regard them.

~ The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 19

I find not being materialistic to be one of the more challenging aspects of leading a life committed to God and serving others.  Within the United States, it can be so difficult to not focus on material items.  Advertising is everywhere informing us of how our lives will be improved if we just purchase this new product, or more often the same product as what we already have just a few superficial changes.  The Báb has told us that we cannot truly be righteous or claim to be a true believer in God, if we still take pride in our material possession and grant them an important place in our lives.

TeacherJay Báb, The desires, globalism, materialism

O Lord! Thou art the Remover of every anguish and the Dispeller of every affliction. Thou art He Who banisheth every sorrow and setteth free every slave, the Redeemer of every soul. O Lord! Grant deliverance through Thy mercy, and reckon me among such servants of Thine as have gained salvation.

~ The Báb, Baha’i Prayer

I first ran across this prayer a few years ago when I first declared as a Baha’i.  However, it was not until a few years later that a friend gave me the Elika Mahony CD, Fire & Gold, in which she sings these words so beautifully that it really had an impact on me.

Of course this is praise for the way in which God’s love and presence can mitigate the difficulties and trials in our lives, but there is more.  It has become a symbol to me of the diversity of the Baha’i Faith and its ability to cross international borders.  Although people in different parts of the world face different afflictions, they can all find redemption and salvation in the same God and this is one of the unifying principles of the Faith.

Mahony’s parents are from Iran, though she was born in the United States, raised in Kenya and now lives in China.  I was in India, on my way to Bangladesh and then Honduras, visiting a friend I knew from NYC who was born in Panama and had also lived in Argentina, who introduced me to her new friend who was India, but had lived in China.  All of us had led different lives, in different places, and yet we all knew this same prayer.

To add to the international flavor, a second woman enters into the song for the following words from Baha’u’llah:

¡OH HIJO DE LA LUZ!
Olvídate de todo menos de mí y entra en comunión con mi espíritu. Esto pertenece a la esencia de mi mandamiento, por tanto vuélvete a él.

~ Baha’u'llah, Palabras Ocultas del Árabe no. 16

in English:

O SON OF LIGHT!
Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit. This is of the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it.

~ Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words #16

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