God's Glorious Bounty Prevails in this Troubled World

Divine Springtime of Thy tender mercies

Glory to Thee, O my God! The first stirrings of the spring of Thy grace have appeared and clothed Thine earth with verdure. The clouds of the heaven of Thy bounty have rained their rain on this City within whose walls is imprisoned Him Whose desire is the salvation of Thy creatures. Through it the soil of this City hath been decked forth, and its trees clothed with foliage, and its inhabitants gladdened.

The hearts of Thy dear ones, however, will rejoice only at the Divine Springtime of Thy tender mercies, whereby the hearts are quickened, and the souls are renewed, and the trees of human existence bear their fruits.

The plants that have sprung forth, O my Lord, in the hearts of Thy loved ones have withered away. Send down upon them, from the clouds of Thy spirit, that which will cause the tender herbs of Thy knowledge and wisdom to grow within their breasts. Rejoice, then, their hearts with the proclamation of Thy Cause and the exaltation of Thy sovereignty.

Their eyes, O my Lord, are expectantly turned in the direction of Thy bounty, and their faces are set towards the horizon of Thy grace. Suffer them not, through Thy bounty, to be deprived of Thy grace. Potent art Thou, by Thy sovereign might, over all things. No God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Bahá’u’lláh

(Posted by our guest Hand of Cause of God Mr. David Maxwell on 2nd June 2013)

The month of Mulk (Dominion)

The month of Mulk (Dominion) is the nineteen day period beginning February 7.

“Strive then, O My brother, to apprehend this matter, that the veils may be lifted from the face of thy heart and that thou mayest be reckoned among them whom God hath graced with such penetrating vision as to behold the most subtle realities of His dominion, to fathom the mysteries of His kingdom, to perceive the signs of His transcendent Essence in this mortal world, and to attain a station wherein one seeth no distinction amongst His creatures and findeth no flaw in the creation of the heavens and the earth.” 

--Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries 

“…that the veils may be lifted from the face of thy heart…” Now, isn’t that interesting? Bahá'u'lláh is asking that we strive to lift the veils from the face of our hearts. I expect that very few of us consider that our hearts have a face. But in spiritual terms, apparently they do. We must remember that all of Bahá'u'lláh’s admonishments and instructions deal with the spirit within. We should also consider that upon leaving this world, as is our destiny, the world beyond is based upon a spiritual existence, a dimension that none of us has the capacity to comprehend or understand while we dwell in our temporal body. There can be no doubt about the existence of another world beyond this one since all the Messengers of the past have told us so, although in the limited terms that humans were able to comprehend at the time. And now, with the Message of Bahá'u'lláh, humans have received a full measure of His knowledge. We may partake of that knowledge by aligning ourselves within an aura of spirituality, a spirituality of God’s definition, not our own.   

So, we must strive to lift the veils from the face of our hearts in order that we may begin an alignment that allows us to behold the most subtle realities of His dominion. According to His message, we may then proceed with the (no doubt lifetime) adventure of grasping His attributes and finally to find no flaw in the creation of the heavens and the earth. Doesn’t the reality of that assignment make your head spin? The words in that sentence from His “Gems of Divine Mystery” could form the basis for a discovery of the Truths that Bahá'u'lláh wants us to understand in order that we may more fully appreciate and enjoy the fruits to be found within His Dominion. If that seems too much for one to accomplish, we need to remind ourselves that His pathway is available to all, whether they come to His Message as an infant, or have already lived several decades.

I expect that the veils of our heart-face are developed from the prejudices we allow into our lives over a period of time. Even if we were fortunate enough to be raised in a Bahá'í family relationship we have prejudices to overcome since we are all fallible creatures. If it were not so there would have been no reason for any of God‘s Messengers to appear. As humans we know that the heart is used as a metaphor when feelings of love, compassion or good deeds is considered, even though it is physically the organ that continuously propels the lifeblood through our bodies. This is a concept that each of us is aware of, whether we consider God in our lives or not. All of us, whether a hardened criminal or the most praiseworthy, follows her heart in most matters, whether they be emotional or materialistic. How often do you reference your heart on a daily basis?

We should also consider the mission of our striving, to “…apprehend this matter…that thou mayest be reckoned among them whom God hath graced with such penetrating vision as to behold the most subtle realities of His dominion…” Bahá'u'lláh may be telling us that the matter at hand is elusive. It must be apprehended. Hmm. Like a thief in the night? Many of us may have already have found that spiritual growth is indeed elusive, something to be apprehended. We all want a spiritual connection with God, that feeling of being personally connected with His will by the thread from His Kingdom to our very souls. Although He does not use the word perfection in this example, He is providing a process that may lead to our realizing the utmost of our spiritual capacity.

And from that may we assume that our striving will provide the beginnings of building a stronger foundation toward understanding His Dominion? The American Heritage dictionary defines dominion as a territory or sphere of influence or control; a realm. Bahá'u'lláh proclaimed that every fixed star has its planets and every planet its creatures. That gives a hint, within human understanding, of the size of His dominion. But I submit that that is probably just the beginning, for when we enter the next world and begin to use the criteria of a more advanced spirituality than we can ever imagine in this life, the mind boggles at what we may encounter there. 

So while we pass through the days of this nineteen day period it is an opportunity for us to turn our hearts toward thoughts of the realm of His Dominion. There is probably a special potency during this month that will allow us to gain a greater insight of His vastness, if we but strive to remove the veils from the face of our hearts, and venture unafraid along newly-brightened spiritual avenues. We may pray with loving thoughts for His assistance during this time, and await with keen anticipation for the love He will extend to us all.

Hand of the Cause of God David Maxwell  

Wilmette NSA's Petition Rejected

The Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit DENIED the Wilmette NSA's petition for rehearing.  The next step, if the NSA decides to take it, is to file a petition for certiorari with the US Supreme Court.  They have 90 days. After that, the decision is final.

Such stupid petitions puts the Justice of the Baha'i Faith in a ridiculous position. The so-called House of Justice's approval for such actions, questions the sans-guardian's administrative legitimacy.

The Bahá'í Month of Honor

The Bahá'í Month of Honor is the nineteen day period beginning December 31.

“They who are the beloved of God, in whatever place they gather and whomsoever they may meet, must evince, in their attitude towards God, and in the manner of their celebration of His praise and glory, such humility and submissiveness that every atom of the dust beneath their feet may attest the depth of their devotion. The conversation carried by these holy souls should be informed with such power that these same atoms of dust will be thrilled by its influence. They should conduct themselves in such manner that the earth upon which they tread may never be allowed to address to them such words as these: "I am to be preferred above you. For witness, how patient I am in bearing the burden which the husbandman layeth upon me. I am the instrument that continually imparteth unto all beings the blessings with which He Who is the Source of all grace hath entrusted me. Notwithstanding the honor conferred upon me, and the unnumbered evidences of my wealth--a wealth that supplieth the needs of all creation--behold the measure of my humility, witness with what absolute submissiveness I allow myself to be trodden beneath the feet of men...."

-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 7, 8

Only the eloquence of Bahá'u'lláh could permeate the most basic platform of human life with such power and spirituality, to the degree of becoming a reality check for all who would listen. Do not the words of that quote give one pause? I should hope so, since we are living in an age of awareness that has already rallied many humans to recognize that we must alter our destructive and wasteful ways which currently do little to benefit our Planet. In fact, most of our actions have a negative result on the physical qualities of the world we depend upon for life itself. Bahá'ís recognize that the foremost contributing factor to the world’s pollution is humanity’s spiritual shortcomings. While many sound the alarm of global warming, pointing to material solutions as the answer to solve the problem, we know that a change in the hearts of men, as foretold by Bahá'u'lláh, is the only true solution to the physical maladies of global imbalance.

Although I may have read the above quote at some point in my Bahá'í life, I have no recollection of it. When finding it recently, I was struck with its elemental goodness. This very paragraph would be a wonderful place to start for all those who want to do something about their world and themselves. “The conversation carried by these holy souls (remember, it the Baha’is of the world to whom this is addressed) should be informed with such power that these same atoms of dust will be thrilled by its influence.” Did you ever consider that the very earth we trod upon might be thrilled by the spiritual power of our influence? I never had. To me, Bahá'u'lláh is admonishing us in the very basest of terms, the degree that we should all aspire to in our reflection of His Teachings.

Our World’s composure was radically changed by the vibrating influence of Bahá'u'lláh’s Message for this Day, altering the life processes that our fathers and fore-fathers had learned to rely upon. We, as citizens of this recently altered world have not a clue of the magnitude of that alteration. No doubt, many of the Baha’is would find fault with that assessment. But do we really have a clue? Do we really understand the nuances of this Revelation that is the result of the release of 25 Letters of (God’s) Knowledge upon a hapless society? According to Holy Writ, the entire Adamic Cycle had released only two of those Letters. Along with the release of those 25 remaining Letters, humans became endowed with the capacity to live within the bounds of the marvels of that new presentation. I would presently opine that although humans will eventually be able to handle the new guidelines, at this point we are in what may be described as an embryonic status of understanding; we will eventually understand the requirements, but only have a glimmering of it now. As children go through succeeding levels of learning before understanding the complexities of life, adults now have new lessons to learn as well.

And so it is with all of us; we must first overcome our fear of water in order to progressively learn how to swim. I submit that meditating upon the enormity of the above paragraph could eventually guide us in the direction of beginning to understand the magnitude of grandeur that has been presented to us, and more importantly, the role that we must all present, to the best of our ability, in our acceptance and furtherance of the principles of this New World Order.

Hand of the Cause of God, Nosrat Bahremand, recently reminded us that we need to understand that believers of Bahá'u'lláh and followers of Bahá'u'lláh are two distinct categories. Do I dare suggest that the above quoted paragraph provides a further distinction for us to be aware of in our quest: that is that we must additionally become students of Bahá'u'lláh, beginning with the most basic truths of This Revelation. Acceptance of Bahá'u'lláh is only the beginning of a completely new avenue of life for us, and we need to begin at the most basic level of understanding to be able to truly comprehend its magnitude.

Hand of the Cause of God David Maxwell

MONTH OF KNOWLEDGE (ILM)

“Investigate and study the Holy Scriptures word by word so that you may attain the knowledge of the mysteries hidden therein.
The Bahá'í month of ’Ilm (Knowledge) is the nineteen day period beginning October 16.

     When thinking of knowledge, most people may immediately think of the material comforts of modern life. After all it is the knowledge of scientists that has led to the great inventions and myriad products available today that we all take for granted and feel entitled to. A pervasive feeling of “I deserve this” seems to permeate our acceptance of life’s conveniences, with little thought of why we deserve them. Bahá'í Teachings provide a contrary view of our contemporary mood as noted below:
Knowledge of Spiritual Texts
   “Investigate and study the Holy Scriptures word by word so that you may attain the knowledge of the mysteries hidden therein. Be not satisfied with words, but seek to understand the spiritual meanings hidden in the heart of the words….These are the mysteries of God. It is not the reading of the words that profits you; it is the understanding of their meanings. Therefore, pray God that you may be enabled to comprehend the mysteries of the divine Testaments.
     All the texts and teachings of the holy Testaments have intrinsic spiritual meanings. They are not to be taken literally….May your souls be illumined by the light of the Words of God, and may you become repositories of the mysteries of God, for no comfort is greater and no happiness is sweeter than spiritual comprehension of the divine teachings.”  “The Divine Art of Living” pg. 58, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1986 edition
     When one accepts the Bahá'í Teachings she has already discovered, in her search after truth, that the world is in some sort of transitional phase. Material comforts are accepted by modern society merely as elements of an advancing civilization and nothing more. Of themselves they have not brought any sort of peace, nay, they have brought with their wonders unprecedented bloodshed, greed and imbalance. Since they have evolved largely with ever increasing speed in the last century and a half, a conundrum exists. A person of knowledge may ponder why all this material progress has not brought an aura of peace and comfort as well? The words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ cry out for an audience; “…for no comfort is greater and no happiness is sweeter than spiritual comprehension of the divine teachings.“
     That is not to say that material wealth is to be avoided. When Baha’u’llah brought His message to humans, it was infused with the potential to develop both the material and the spiritual elements of our lives with the wonders of new capabilities. Material comforts are meant to be enjoyed by all within a prescribed moderation, rather than to encourage a society such as today’s with its materialistic extremes.
     One of the lessons we’ve learned in the last century and a half is that humans are plenty smart in the pursuit of material progress. While the powerful infusion of the Bahá'í Spirit has prompted an unprecedented promotion of the material, its pillar of spirituality has been largely ignored. Yet, the Teachings predominantly emphasize a theme of spirituality, proclaiming a solution for all the world’s ills. There is a spiritual solution for the economic problem; there is a spiritual solution that will lead to the abandonment of warfare; there is a spiritual solution for the elimination of prejudice, even among those who are caught up in the reliving of the prejudices of their fathers and fore-fathers.
     And how does a society become spiritual? One person at a time. A good first step would be for each of us to take to heart such statements as the lead-in to this article suggests: “…All the texts and teachings of the holy Testaments have intrinsic spiritual meanings. They are not to be taken literally….May your souls be illumined by the light of the Words of God, and may you become repositories of the mysteries of God, for no comfort is greater and no happiness is sweeter than spiritual comprehension of the divine teachings.”
     To follow that advice will require modification of the thought processes that most humans pursue. The “past” dictates a common practice for those of faith to try to closely and literally heed the advice of their scriptures, with an understanding that “the spirit” will be taken care of for them by their clergy. Not any more. Not only do the Bahá'í Teachings require that all humans must become educated, but that each person must glean an understanding of the  Holy Scriptures for herself, for, in the New Order, a clergy will be no longer specified.
     Additionally, the deeper one gets into the Writings, the more apparent it becomes that a new mode of participation is expected from its adherents while they are in their life-long search after Truth. On closer look, many of the passages (such as those cited above) request a new concept of study when reading the scriptures. The Mystery beyond the word content of the Writings is such that no matter where a person is in her spiritual development, there is always more to glean from a course of study.
     Could it be that there is a mysterious vibration surrounding the holy words that we presently cannot comprehend?  Since we are only now experiencing the opening chapters of this new world order, “…the likes of which mortal eyes have never witnessed…” it is very probable that human progress will require a new dimension of understanding beyond what we now follow. How else may one explain a future based upon the promise of “…Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”
     As suggested by ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, the pure meaning and purpose of the Bahá'í Writings may only be fully realized when one learns to comprehend the mysteries of the divine Testaments. No doubt, through God’s love, that understanding will lead to the throwing off of prejudices and shackles of the past generations, and reaping the harvest of God‘s will on earth.

David Maxwell   

He does not burden us with His boasting of his Might, nor does He overpower us by forcing us to accept that which we are not capable of understanding. Could a loving parent do more than that?

Might honors the tenth of the nineteen months of the Bahá'í calendar. It is observed from September 8 until September 27. When thinking of Might an overwhelming feeling may occur as one wonders how it may be possible to distil from Bahá'u'lláh’s mighty Writings any one segment, to the exclusion of the thousands of references to any one attribute.

And then His “Hidden Words” comes to mind, that gem of simplicity that Shoghi Effendi declared was identified with the “Hidden Book of Fatimah,” believed to have been revealed by the Angel Gabriel through the Imam Ali for consolation of Muhammad’s daughter after His death. It had remained hidden from the world until Shoghi Effendi released it. As an aside, the 1954 edition contains a beautiful Introduction by George Townshend, which is absent in later versions, including a splendid discussion of ego. 

Among the verses in “Hidden Words” are the following which mention Might:
HE IS THE GLORY OF GLORIES
“This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue.”
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 3 --

24. O SON OF MAN!
“Transgress not thy limits, nor claim that which beseemeth thee not. Prostrate thyself before the countenance of thy God, the Lord of might and power.”
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 9 --

67. O SON OF BEAUTY!
“By My spirit and by My favor! By My mercy and by My beauty! All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.”
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 19, 20 --

In considering the concept of might, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of modern times which celebrate victories of one over another, whether on the athletic field or in the boardroom. We are a society of winners and losers. Even children playing together are conditioned to learn the feelings of pride to be gained through being better than another in many of their activities; my (whatever) is better than your (whatever.) This is not to say that each of us should not do the very best we can in all our daily activities. But do all our accomplishments need to come at the expense of another? Why do we not perform our very best in order to experience the satisfaction of knowing that we did the best we could, and then celebrate the accomplishments of our peers? Why not surround our activities in the aura of love as demonstrated by our Creator?
David Maxwell

Study on the Distortions of ITC

A document prepared in March 2006 by the International Teaching Center of the sans-guardian Bahá'ís in Haifa in the title of:“A Study on the Guardianship & The Universal House of Justice”

This study was prepared for the use of Auxiliary Board Members and has no doubt been used extensively for their justification of not including a living guardian in their administrative order, even though Bahá'í Holy Writ ensures a continuous line of living guardians enduring the entire span of the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, lasting at least 1,000 years.

Why a teaching center has to tell ABMs what to believe and discuss about the most basic of the foundational elements of the Faith. Is it that complicated? No, it is not.

In a paperback copy of a book, copyright 1980. Text under the heading:

“Bahá'í Covenant has been modified”. The next to last paragraph of the bogus UHJ version, page 129, in reading the next paragraph on that page, a major, modification provides erroneous information.The first half of the original paragraph, which discusses successive guardians, is no longer there.

They alter the meaning of passages in Baha’i books that were compiled prior to the death of the First Guardian.

Hand of Cause of God David Maxwell wrote a comprehensive Critique on the above study material. <Detail>