Jalál, 01 Masá’il (Questions), 178 B.E.

Seen

The neighbor kids added some accents to the top of the fire hydrant in front of their home …

Done

My amazing mother-in-law was a teenager in Germany during WWII. Food was not easy to come by unless it was homegrown. The meals were simple and easy to prepare, yet tasted good and were nutritious. Her potato and green bean soup was one of them. I followed her recipe and it turned out GREAT—just the thing for what has been a crazy 24-hours, weather-wise.

Noted

Astral Prospecting on Instagram and Astral Prospecting on Facebook

The latest watercolor by “the prospector” that features, well, “the prospector”!

Marc Bosserman on Instagram Marc Bosserman on Facebook, and Marc Bosserman Music and Musings on YouTube

Tab’s Galaxy on YouTube

Quoted

To be a Bahá’í, in fact as well as in name, demands from each one of us strenuous effort—in studying the writings and in reflecting in our daily lives “the splendour of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh”.

In their letter of September 1964, calling the Bahá’ís of the world to UNIVERSAL PARTICIPATION, the Universal House of Justice said: “all can pray, fight their own spiritual battles, and contribute to the Fund. If every believer will carry out these sacred duties, we shall be astonished at the accession of power which will result to the whole body …”

Now in a letter of November 24, 1972, with a compilation consisting of quotations from the letters and writings of the beloved Guardian, they stress that “the moral and spiritual admonitions contained in our writings (should) be widely disseminated, properly understood, and the friends encouraged to follow them”, and they quote the words of Shoghi Effendi:

Humanity, through suffering and turmoil, is swiftly moving on towards its destiny; if we be loiterers, if we fail to play our part surely others will be called upon to take up our task as ministers to the crying needs of this afflicted world.

Not by the force of numbers, not by the mere exposition of a set of new and noble principles, not by an organized campaign of teaching—no matter how worldwide and elaborate in its character—not even by the staunchness of our faith or the exaltation of our enthusiasm, can we ultimately hope to vindicate in the eyes of a critical and sceptical age the supreme claim of the Abhá Revelation. One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh. 1

The Universal House of Justice has issued the compilation, as an addendum to the booklet “The Pattern of Bahá’í Life”, and has urged each National Spiritual Assembly to obtain copies of this booklet for use by their communities. The extracts may eventually be incorporated in a new edition of “The Pattern of Bahá’í Life” but in the meantime the National Spiritual Assembly has produced the compilation as a further booklet in the series, and humbly presents a copy to each believer in the United Kingdom in the hope that all our lives may thereby be enriched and illumined. 2

My sister and brother-in-law recently relocated and chose to donate several books in their library rather than move them. Many of these volumes are not well-known, but due to the topics they cover and the manner in which their authors explore them, they warrant a nod of recognition before being sent on their way. Accordingly, most quotes referenced in the “Quoted” section come from these books. Maybe they will stir (or renew) your interest, too.

  1. Effendi, Shoghi.  Bahá’í Administration: Selected Messages 1922-1932. Wilmette, Ill: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1974, 66. https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/shoghi-effendi/bahai-administration/5#159123298 [return]
  2. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom , editor. Living the Life: A Compilation. Reprinted, Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1984, 3-4. [return]