"And Justice for All"

Some of God's Wishes seem quite severe.

Of course, many of us have rather severe Egos...

The way my limited mind sees the situation of today's quote is:

If we give up our desires in preference for what the Whole needs, since God has asked (recommended) it, He will shower us with (spiritual) Gifts!

"[An] attribute of perfection is justice and impartiality. This means to have no regard for one’s own personal benefits and selfish advantages, and to carry out the laws of God without the slightest concern for anything else. It means to see one’s self as only one of the servants of God, the All-Possessing, and except for aspiring to spiritual distinction, never attempting to be singled out from the others. It means to consider the welfare of the community as one’s own. It means, in brief, to regard humanity as a single individual, and one’s own self as a member of that corporeal form, and to know of a certainty that if pain or injury afflicts any member of that body, it must inevitably result in suffering for all the rest."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 39

Who's In Charge Here?

Today's quote could be successfully used on a desk plaque for those folk who are too caught up in what "they" have accomplished...

“How truly hath he [Muhammad] said: ‘All human attainment moveth upon a lame ass, whilst Truth, riding upon the wind, darteth across space.’”

Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, paragraph 204, pp. 172-173

"...Thy hidden gift..."

So many people who are into "Spirituality" but not Religion are hampering their spiritual bliss if they ignore the Scriptures of the World.

Some feel Scripture is passé, some that It's capable of contradictory interpretations, and some that It's too hard to understand, period.

Today's quote speaks to those people's predicament...

“Number me not with them who read Thy words and fail to find Thy hidden gift which, as decreed by Thee, is contained therein, and which quickeneth the souls of Thy creatures and the hearts of Thy servants.”

Bahá’u’lláh: Prayers and Meditations, Selection LVI, p. 83

The Proof Is All Around Us !

This Galaxy contains hundreds of billions of stars which have untold planets circling them which harbor who knows what kind of life.

It's just one of God's creations...

"Consider the relation between the craftsman and his handiwork, between the painter and his painting. Can it ever be maintained that the work their hands have produced is the same as themselves? By Him Who is the Lord of the Throne above and of earth below! They can be regarded in no other light except as evidences that proclaim the excellence and perfection of their author."

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection CLX, p. 337

Religion & Science

So far, in this new "incarnation" of B.I.D.E. Blog, I've only quoted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Bahá’u’lláh.

Today the excerpt is from a document published by the World Governing Body of the Bahá’í Faith:

“While it is true to speak of the unity of all religions, understanding of the context is vital. At the deepest level, as Bahá'u'lláh emphasizes, there is but one religion.

"Religion is religion, as science is science.

"The one discerns and articulates the values unfolding progressively through Divine revelation; the other is the instrumentality through which the human mind explores and is able to exert its influence ever more precisely over the phenomenal world. The one defines goals that serve the evolutionary process; the other assists in their attainment. Together, they constitute the dual knowledge system impelling the advance of civilization. Each is hailed by the Master [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] as an ‘effulgence of the Sun of Truth’.”

Universal House of Justice, One Common Faith, par. 43

Spiritual Protection

I'd mentioned in a previous post how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Who I quote here often...) had to spend 40 years in Middle Eastern prisons before he visited Europe and the USA.

His Father, Bahá’u’lláh, spent the same amount of time as a prisoner yet He had much more suffering heaped upon Him.

Here is a Supreme Example of the correct internal attitude to maintain if others attack us for our beliefs:

"Armed with the power of Thy love, the hatred which moveth them that are against Thee can never alarm me; and with Thy praise on my lips, the rulings of Thy decree can in no wise fill me with sorrow. Fortify, therefore, Thy love within my breast, and suffer me to face the assaults which all the peoples of the earth may launch against me."

Bahá’u’lláh: Prayers and Meditations, Selection CXXVII, p. 214

"Worlds, Holy and Spiritually Glorious"

It takes Faith to read Scripture and firmly believe that, in spite of the severity of our suffering in the body, our souls can realize supreme happiness.

It takes Faith like a rooted mountain!

This quote from Reality says it much better than I can:

"O My servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes. You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain."

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection CLIII, p. 329

~ TRUTH ~

I remember, about 40 years ago, a social "movement" whose dogma was: Tell The Extreme Truth, No Matter What.

For a short while I tried it and encouraged others to be this "Honest".

What a fiasco!

How great the hurt and harm.

Even though the "truth" often needs moderation, we must not fall into the trap of abandoning the "Truth".

What a gem today's quote from Reality is:

"How great the multitude of truths which the garment of words can never contain! How vast the number of such verities as no expression can adequately describe, whose significance can never be unfolded, and to which not even the remotest allusions can be made! How manifold are the truths which must remain unuttered until the appointed time is come! Even as it hath been said: 'Not everything that a man knoweth can be disclosed, nor can everything that he can disclose be regarded as timely, nor can every timely utterance be considered as suited to the capacity of those who hear it.'"

Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 176

No Greater Bliss

Today's quote from Reality is beautifully clear and complete to me.

So...

No comment...

"Is any larger bounty conceivable than this, that an individual, looking within himself, should find that by the confirming grace of God he has become the cause of peace and well-being, of happiness and advantage to his fellow men? No, by the one true God, there is no greater bliss, no more complete delight."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 2-3