Day of the Covenant
In addition to being Thanksgiving day in the U.S. for Baha’is the world over, Nov. 26 is a holy day. It is ‘The Day of the Covenant.’ This holy day commemorates Baha’u’llah’s appointment of His eldest son, Abdu’l-Baha, as the protector of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah. This was established by Baha’u’llah to ensure the unity of the Baha'i Faith. He also defined his true followers as those who abide by his covenant.
As protector of the Covenant, Abdu’l-Baha, (sometimes referred as the Center of the Covenant), was charged with safeguarding and protecting the Baha’i Faith against schisms, making it impossible for anyone to create a new sect or faction of belief. He, in turn, appointed Shoghi Effendi as the first Guardian of the Baha’i Faith and set forth conditions for future Guardians. He also encouraged Baha’is to create the local councils which Baha’u’llah had ordained to guide the affairs of local Baha’i communities. All are elements of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah.
The Covenant of Baha’u’llah is unique in religious history. No other world religion’s sacred scriptures provide such explicit instructions for succession and the organization of the community of believers after the founder’s passing. As a result the Baha'i Faith is the first religion in history that has survived its critical first century with its unity clearly established. And, in addition, it has a blueprint for a divinely ordered global civilization to bring unity to the world.
After the death of Baha’u’llah in1892, Abdu’l-Baha assumed the role he was appointed to. He carried forth his father’s mission until he died in 1921 at age 77. Abdu’l-Baha was known as an ambassador of peace, a promoter of justice and the head and authority of the new religion. During visits to Europe and more than 40 cities in the United States and Canada in 1911-1913, he was greeted with respect and honor by Baha’is and others. In city after city, he was invited to speak at churches, synagogues and organizations promoting the improvement of society. This resulted in establishing the Baha'i Faith as a new force for social reform and religious renewal.
Affirming that "Love is the most great law" and that the "supreme need of humanity is cooperation and reciprocity" among all its peoples, Abdu'l-Baha reached out to all – to every soul who crossed his path. He was so well-regarded that his funeral, on Mt Carmel in the holy land, was attended by 10,000 mourners from all persuasions and denominations. He is buried in a vault on the north side of the Shrine of the Báb now surrounded by terraced gardens that are the pride of Haifa.
Two days after the Day of the Covenant is the Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha, marking the anniversary of his death in 1921.
In the decades since the passing of Abdu’l-Baha, the efficacy of the Covenant has been proved time and time again. At the passing of Shoghi Effendi, the conditions for future Guardians were not possible, so the Baha’i community elected the Universal House of Justice in 1963. This agency had been ordained by Baha’u’llah to be the supreme governing council of the Baha’i community.
Baha’is see the power of the Covenant operating on an on-going basis in the functioning of their administrative order, the system of governing councils on the local, national and international levels with their auxiliary agencies and appointed individuals. There is no professional priesthood or clergy, the work of the Faith is carried out exclusively by lay members. From remote jungle villages to the most cosmopolitan urban centers, the Baha’i community is a self-governing society based on the same spiritual and administrative principles in over 130,000 communities worldwide. That, in itself, is some kind of miracle.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
As the time of Thanksgiving approaches we can appraise those things which we are thankful for. Baha’is strive to be thankful every day for the bounties of God in our lives, but Thanksgiving is a time when all of society is more conscious of it. When Abdu’l-Baha, son of Baha’u’llah, Founder of the Baha'i Faith visited the U.S. in 1912, He shared these thoughts about giving thanks.
“Thankfulness is of various kinds. There is a verbal thanksgiving which is confined to a mere utterance of gratitude. This is of no importance because perchance the tongue may give thanks while the heart is unaware of it. Many who offer thanks to God are of this type, their spirits and hearts unconscious of thanksgiving. This is mere usage, just as when we meet, receive a gift and say thank you, speaking the words without significance. One may say thank you a thousand times while the heart remains thankless, ungrateful. Therefore, mere verbal thanksgiving is without effect. But real thankfulness is a cordial giving of thanks from the heart. When man in response to the favors of God manifests susceptibilities of conscience, the heart is happy, the spirit is exhilarated. These spiritual susceptibilities are ideal thanksgiving.
There is a cordial thanksgiving, too, which expresses itself in the deeds and actions of man when his heart is filled with gratitude. For example, God has conferred upon man the gift of guidance, and in thankfulness for this great gift certain deeds must emanate from him. To express his gratitude for the favors of God man must show forth praiseworthy actions. In response to these bestowals he must render good deeds, be self-sacrificing, loving the servants of God, forfeiting even life for them, showing kindness to all the creatures.” In essence, our actions are evidence of our thanksgiving.
He continued by giving specific examples. “Physically and spiritually we are submerged in the sea of God's favor. He has provided our foods, drink and other requirements; His favors encompass us from all directions. The sustenances provided for man are blessings. Sight, hearing and all his faculties are wonderful gifts. These blessings are innumerable; no matter how many are mentioned, they are still endless. Spiritual blessings are likewise endless -- spirit, consciousness, thought, memory, perception, ideation and other endowments. By these He has guided us, and we enter His Kingdom. He has opened the doors of all good before our faces. He has vouchsafed eternal glory. He has summoned us to the Kingdom of heaven. He has enriched us by the bestowals of God. Every day he has proclaimed new glad tidings. Every hour fresh bounties descend.”
--Excerpt from a talk given by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá and published in Promulgation of Universal Peace, pg. 236-237.
Being thankful is a continual process for Bahá’ís. For that reason Bahá’ís do not generally say prayers before meals, but there is a very appropriate prayer if one wishes to do so. It was revealed by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá.
“He is God! Thou seest us, O my God, gathered around this table, praising Thy bounty, with our gaze set upon Thy Kingdom. O Lord! Send down upon us Thy heavenly food and confer upon us Thy blessing. Thou art verily the Bestower the Merciful, the Compassionate.”
“Thankfulness is of various kinds. There is a verbal thanksgiving which is confined to a mere utterance of gratitude. This is of no importance because perchance the tongue may give thanks while the heart is unaware of it. Many who offer thanks to God are of this type, their spirits and hearts unconscious of thanksgiving. This is mere usage, just as when we meet, receive a gift and say thank you, speaking the words without significance. One may say thank you a thousand times while the heart remains thankless, ungrateful. Therefore, mere verbal thanksgiving is without effect. But real thankfulness is a cordial giving of thanks from the heart. When man in response to the favors of God manifests susceptibilities of conscience, the heart is happy, the spirit is exhilarated. These spiritual susceptibilities are ideal thanksgiving.
There is a cordial thanksgiving, too, which expresses itself in the deeds and actions of man when his heart is filled with gratitude. For example, God has conferred upon man the gift of guidance, and in thankfulness for this great gift certain deeds must emanate from him. To express his gratitude for the favors of God man must show forth praiseworthy actions. In response to these bestowals he must render good deeds, be self-sacrificing, loving the servants of God, forfeiting even life for them, showing kindness to all the creatures.” In essence, our actions are evidence of our thanksgiving.
He continued by giving specific examples. “Physically and spiritually we are submerged in the sea of God's favor. He has provided our foods, drink and other requirements; His favors encompass us from all directions. The sustenances provided for man are blessings. Sight, hearing and all his faculties are wonderful gifts. These blessings are innumerable; no matter how many are mentioned, they are still endless. Spiritual blessings are likewise endless -- spirit, consciousness, thought, memory, perception, ideation and other endowments. By these He has guided us, and we enter His Kingdom. He has opened the doors of all good before our faces. He has vouchsafed eternal glory. He has summoned us to the Kingdom of heaven. He has enriched us by the bestowals of God. Every day he has proclaimed new glad tidings. Every hour fresh bounties descend.”
--Excerpt from a talk given by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá and published in Promulgation of Universal Peace, pg. 236-237.
Being thankful is a continual process for Bahá’ís. For that reason Bahá’ís do not generally say prayers before meals, but there is a very appropriate prayer if one wishes to do so. It was revealed by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá.
“He is God! Thou seest us, O my God, gathered around this table, praising Thy bounty, with our gaze set upon Thy Kingdom. O Lord! Send down upon us Thy heavenly food and confer upon us Thy blessing. Thou art verily the Bestower the Merciful, the Compassionate.”
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A Problem in White and Black
I want to share this statement from Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, that he addressed to American Baha'is. It is the only practical advice I'v read about the black and white problem in this country.
“Let the white make a supreme effort in their resolve to contribute their share to the solution of this problem, to abandon once for all their usually inherent and at times subconscious sense of superiority, to correct their tendency towards revealing a patronizing attitude towards the members of the other race, to persuade them through their intimate, spontaneous and informal association with them of the genuineness of their friendship and the sincerity of their intentions, and to master their impatience of any lack of responsiveness on the part of a people who have received, for so long a period, such grievous and slow-healing wounds.
Let the Negroes, through a corresponding effort on their part, show by every means in their power the warmth of their response, their readiness to forget the past, and their ability to wipe out every trace of suspicion that may still linger in their hearts and minds.
Let neither think that the solution of so vast a problem is a matter that exclusively concerns the other. Let neither think that such a problem can either easily or immediately be resolved. Let neither think that they can wait confidently for the solution of this problem until the initiative has been taken, and the favorable circumstances created, by agencies that stand outside the orbit of their Faith. Let neither think that anything short of genuine love, extreme patience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative, mature wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort, can succeed in blotting out the stain which this patent evil has left on the fair name of their common country. Let them rather believe, and be firmly convinced, that on their mutual understanding, their amity, and sustained cooperation, must depend, more than on any other force or organization operating outside the circle of their Faith, the deflection of that dangerous course so greatly feared by Abdu’l-Bahá, and the materialization of the hopes He cherished for their joint contribution to the fulfillment of that country’s glorious destiny.”
- Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice
This statement makes it clear that every person, on both sides of the color line, can contribute to the solution. How to implement action is a challenge. I have taken a tiny step that seems to make a little difference on a one-to-one basis.
When I have an exchange with a person of another color I try to make phycial contact in a very general, non intrusive way. If money is changing hands, it is easy to briefly touch the hand of the other person. The interaction begins with a distant attitude on the part of the other person. We conduct the business at hand. When money is changed, and I touch the other hand briefly, I can see a relaxation come over the other person. They also become more friendly toward me. The interaction ends on a much friendlier, more human level than it began.
It's just a little thing, but it brought us closer together as human beings and brightened both our days. Touch is very powerful. When you touch someone in that way you indicate your acceptance of them. That means a lot to another human being. Maybe it can even bring down walls!!!
“Let the white make a supreme effort in their resolve to contribute their share to the solution of this problem, to abandon once for all their usually inherent and at times subconscious sense of superiority, to correct their tendency towards revealing a patronizing attitude towards the members of the other race, to persuade them through their intimate, spontaneous and informal association with them of the genuineness of their friendship and the sincerity of their intentions, and to master their impatience of any lack of responsiveness on the part of a people who have received, for so long a period, such grievous and slow-healing wounds.
Let the Negroes, through a corresponding effort on their part, show by every means in their power the warmth of their response, their readiness to forget the past, and their ability to wipe out every trace of suspicion that may still linger in their hearts and minds.
Let neither think that the solution of so vast a problem is a matter that exclusively concerns the other. Let neither think that such a problem can either easily or immediately be resolved. Let neither think that they can wait confidently for the solution of this problem until the initiative has been taken, and the favorable circumstances created, by agencies that stand outside the orbit of their Faith. Let neither think that anything short of genuine love, extreme patience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative, mature wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort, can succeed in blotting out the stain which this patent evil has left on the fair name of their common country. Let them rather believe, and be firmly convinced, that on their mutual understanding, their amity, and sustained cooperation, must depend, more than on any other force or organization operating outside the circle of their Faith, the deflection of that dangerous course so greatly feared by Abdu’l-Bahá, and the materialization of the hopes He cherished for their joint contribution to the fulfillment of that country’s glorious destiny.”
- Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice
This statement makes it clear that every person, on both sides of the color line, can contribute to the solution. How to implement action is a challenge. I have taken a tiny step that seems to make a little difference on a one-to-one basis.
When I have an exchange with a person of another color I try to make phycial contact in a very general, non intrusive way. If money is changing hands, it is easy to briefly touch the hand of the other person. The interaction begins with a distant attitude on the part of the other person. We conduct the business at hand. When money is changed, and I touch the other hand briefly, I can see a relaxation come over the other person. They also become more friendly toward me. The interaction ends on a much friendlier, more human level than it began.
It's just a little thing, but it brought us closer together as human beings and brightened both our days. Touch is very powerful. When you touch someone in that way you indicate your acceptance of them. That means a lot to another human being. Maybe it can even bring down walls!!!
I participated in two elections today, both within the Baha'i community. That is a little unusual, seldom are two held back to back.
The one election was on a time-frame that we did not set, it was for the Regional Baha'i Council of the Central States, the other was for two officers of my Assembly.
The Regional Council election was scheduled by the National Assembly. We had a range of dates, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8. Anytime the Assembly could meet within that time was sufficient. When these council elections were first held, they were on holy days which added to the holy day program. Since only Assembly members can vote for the Regional Councils, other people at the holy day programs were asked to pray while they voted. Apparently that procedure did not work well. I think this is better.
Members of local Assemblies cast the ballots for the Regional Councils. Any Baha'i in each region is elegible for membership to these councils, with a few exceptions - members of the National Spiritual Assembly and Continental Counsellors.
Some people are perplexed about how to select nine Baha'is out of all the Baha'is who live in the region. You don't have to know them all - just nine.
It is not possible to know them all, but it is possible to know nine and even more than nine. There are opportunites all year long to get to know other Baha'is in the region, but this usually requires leaving your home city. The other alternative is to invite Baha'is to come visit. If neither of these actions are taken - of course you won't know very many other Baha'is! And, of course, the longer you are active in the Baha'i community, the more Baha'is you will know.
Still, it can be a challenge to select nine, but it can be done.
The other election was specific just to my Assembly. Two officers had moved away and two other people had moved in. For several months we were without a Corresponding Secretary and a Treasurer. We appointed a person to relay communications, the money was put in envelopes and dated for future posting. We didn't have any critical bills that needed to be paid, so that worked.
This was an easier election, we had a body of nine (the Assembly members) to select from, yet it was more difficult because a simple majority of votes is not sufficient, a plurality is needed. Of the nine possible votes, we needed five to elect the officers. Six people attended the meeting to participate in the balloting, so a high degress of unity was needed. We achieved it in half a dozen ballots total. We were all impressed.
One of the new members is now our Corresponding Secretary and a long-time member is Treasurer. We can now move forward.
The one election was on a time-frame that we did not set, it was for the Regional Baha'i Council of the Central States, the other was for two officers of my Assembly.
The Regional Council election was scheduled by the National Assembly. We had a range of dates, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8. Anytime the Assembly could meet within that time was sufficient. When these council elections were first held, they were on holy days which added to the holy day program. Since only Assembly members can vote for the Regional Councils, other people at the holy day programs were asked to pray while they voted. Apparently that procedure did not work well. I think this is better.
Members of local Assemblies cast the ballots for the Regional Councils. Any Baha'i in each region is elegible for membership to these councils, with a few exceptions - members of the National Spiritual Assembly and Continental Counsellors.
Some people are perplexed about how to select nine Baha'is out of all the Baha'is who live in the region. You don't have to know them all - just nine.
It is not possible to know them all, but it is possible to know nine and even more than nine. There are opportunites all year long to get to know other Baha'is in the region, but this usually requires leaving your home city. The other alternative is to invite Baha'is to come visit. If neither of these actions are taken - of course you won't know very many other Baha'is! And, of course, the longer you are active in the Baha'i community, the more Baha'is you will know.
Still, it can be a challenge to select nine, but it can be done.
The other election was specific just to my Assembly. Two officers had moved away and two other people had moved in. For several months we were without a Corresponding Secretary and a Treasurer. We appointed a person to relay communications, the money was put in envelopes and dated for future posting. We didn't have any critical bills that needed to be paid, so that worked.
This was an easier election, we had a body of nine (the Assembly members) to select from, yet it was more difficult because a simple majority of votes is not sufficient, a plurality is needed. Of the nine possible votes, we needed five to elect the officers. Six people attended the meeting to participate in the balloting, so a high degress of unity was needed. We achieved it in half a dozen ballots total. We were all impressed.
One of the new members is now our Corresponding Secretary and a long-time member is Treasurer. We can now move forward.
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