“We wish to address some additional words to those of you in whose surroundings marked progress is yet to occur and who long for change. Have hope. It will not always be so. Is not the history of our Faith filled with accounts of inauspicious beginnings but marvellous results? How many times have the deeds of a few believers—young or old—or of a single family, or even of a lone soul, when confirmed by the power of divine assistance, succeeded in cultivating vibrant communities in seemingly inhospitable climes? Do not imagine that your own case is inherently any different. Change in a cluster, be it swift or hard won, flows neither from a formulaic approach nor from random activity; it proceeds to the rhythm of action, reflection, and consultation, and is propelled by plans that are the fruit of experience. Beyond this, and whatever its immediate effects, service to the Beloved is, in itself, a source of abiding joy to the spirit. Take heart, too, from the example of your spiritual kin in the Cradle of the Faith, how their constructive outlook, their resilience as a community, and their steadfastness in promoting the Divine Word are bringing about change in their society at the level of thought and deed. God is with you, with each of you.”
-The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 2015

Today was the last day of our family vacation, so there has been no time to write. However, there is a new post for the month of Qawl (Speech) over at Nineteen Months, and you should check it out and then show it off to your friends and family!

I have been spending this past week with family, and during one of our family devotion times this quotation from ‘Abdu’l-Baha was read and I wasn’t sure that I ever really heard it before. Which is hard to believe but it is possible! I particularly love how poetic and encouraging this Tablet is. I imagine being the person receiving this beautiful message from ‘Abdu’l-Baha and how happy it must have made them.

“O thou whose heart overfloweth with love for the Lord! I address thee from this consecrated spot, to gladden thy bosom with mine epistle to thee, for this is such a letter as maketh the heart of him who believeth in God’s oneness to wing its flight toward the summits of bliss.

Thank thou God for having enabled thee to enter into His Kingdom of might. Erelong will thy Lord’s bounties descend upon thee, one following the other, and He will make of thee a sign for every seeker after truth.

Hold thou fast to the Covenant of thy Lord, and as the days go by, increase thy store of love for His beloved ones. Bend thou with tenderness over the servitors of the All-Merciful, that thou mayest hoist the sail of love upon the ark of peace that moveth across the seas of life. Let nothing grieve thee, and be thou angered at none. It behoveth thee to be content with the Will of God, and a true and loving and trusted friend to all the peoples of the earth, without any exceptions whatever. This is the quality of the sincere, the way of the saints, the emblem of those who believe in the unity of God, and the raiment of the people of Baha.”

-‘Abdu’l-Baha, Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha

I am ending this series (Part 1, Part 2) with a few reference documents that I found very helpful over the years. There are many Baha’is that may not even know about these documents. I included the description from the Baha’i Bookstore because, quite frankly, I can’t write it better.

We each have the responsibility as individuals to understand our Faith and how the Administrative Order works. No one else can do it for us! And we have so many amazing resources in this Faith!

The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice
“This is a declaration of the trust and by-laws of the supreme governing and legislative body of the Baha’i Faith. It was officially adopted in 1972 and acclaimed by Shoghi Effendi as the “Most Great Law of Faith of Baha’u’llah.” It establishes the functions of the Universal House of Justice on the basis of powers and duties invested in it by Baha’u’llah. Every informed Baha’i should commit to reviewing this document.”

The Institution of the Counsellors: A Document Prepared by The Universal House of Justice
“This document prepared by the Universal House of Justice describes the operation of the Baha’i institution of the Continental Board of Counselors and its duties, and contains a digest of the guidance previously given on the subject. It includes a list of statements addressing specific aspects of the functioning of the Board, and should increase the friends understanding of not only the responsibilities of the Counselors and their auxiliaries but also the workings of the Administrative Order in general.”

National Spiritual Assembly: A Compilation Issued by The Universal House Of Justice
“A compilation of extracts from letters written by and on behalf of Shoghi Effendi intended to develop appreciation of the institution of the National Spiritual Assembly. This compilation discusses the membership, and its relationship to the national convention, the community, the functions of its officers, its meetings, committees, appeals, and more.”

The Ministry of the Custodians: 1957-1963
“These are the communications of the body of the Hands of the Cause of God residing in the Holy Land during the years 1957 to 1963. An introduction by Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum places in perspective the events of the critical years between the passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957 and the election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.”

In part 1 of this series I shared some of my favorite biographies/autobiographies about Baha’is. This next list is books that are more introductory or history of the Faith. Part 3 is here.

God Speaks Again by Kenneth E. Bowers
-Such a good, straightforward explanation of the Baha’i Faith. I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t know much about the Baha’i Faith but really wants to dive into it.

The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh series by Adib Taherzadeh
-This is the most comprehensive history of the life of Baha’u’llah and the events surrounding His life that I’ve ever read. I mean, pretty much anything by Adib Taherzadeh is worth reading. There are four books in the series.

Door of Hope by David S. Ruhe
-“Door of Hope is an indispensable guide to the history and sites of pilgrimage of the Bahá’í Faith in the Holy Land.” Not much more needs to be said!

Some Answered Questions by Abdu’l-Baha
-I use this book constantly in my study circle as a reference guide and find that it has been helpful for a wide variety of people. Abdu’l-Baha proofed this book after it was written, and the explanations are so interesting and cover many topics.

I have always loved to read. I was blessed with parents who read to me a lot as a child, and who acted as though reading an entire adult-level book in one day was a totally normal activity. There are so many Baha’i books to read and obviously our first priority should be the Baha’i Writings themselves…but as a young person, I often connected more to stories, and by reading stories I found joy in the Writings.

Here is a list of books with some of my favorite stories about Baha’is, just to get you started. Part 2 and Part 3.

Summon Up Remembrance and Arches of the Years by Marzieh Gail
-I honestly connected with these books first because it is the story of the first Persian-American Baha’i marriage, and since I am a product of one of those marriages, I found this story fascinating. Marzieh Gail is the daughter of Ali-Kuli Khan and Florence Breed, and she shares her family history with humor and reality.

Portals to Freedom by Howard Colby Ives
-This is a book that I recommend to a lot of people because it is an easy read and is a passionate, loving account of Howard Colby Ives’ interaction with Abdu’l-Baha, as well as his own reflections and struggles.

Memorials of the Faithful by Abdu’l-Baha
-This collection of short biographical sketches of early Baha’is is great to read because Abdu’l-Baha Himself wrote it, and because you can read it in shorter pieces. I remember my mother reading this book to me as a kid.

Lights of Fortitude by Barron Harper
-Like the above book, this is a short collection of the histories of the Hands of the Cause. I read this book when I served at the World Centre, and it helped me get an overall sense of who they were, which then took me to the individual biographies of several of them.

The Maxwells of Montreal (volumes 1 & 2) by Violette Nakhjavani
-“One family, bonded in their love for the Bahá’í Faith and for each other, committed through decades of uninterrupted service to the promotion and establishment of that Faith worldwide. They were born during the Heroic Age of the Faith – the parents during the lifetime of Bahá’u’lláh, the child during the Ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá – and they lived to serve the Guardian of the Cause during the early decades of the Formative Age at the most critical time of his ministry.” This series is sweet and contains so many stories that none of us ever knew, and helped me understand the sacrifices this amazing family made in their service to the Faith.

It is really hard to write blog posts while on vacation with family. So for this last part of the Feast posts (1, 2, and 3) I will just post a few final quotations. I wasn’t super organized about these posts, and there are a lot of other well thought out posts and resources out there (I find the Guidelines for Spiritual Assemblies document that the US NSA has compiled to be a fantastic source).

“Since children of Bahá’í parents are considered to be Bahá’ís, they are to be encouraged to attend all Feasts, there to share the reading of the Writings and prayers and be bathed in the spirit of the community. It is the hope of the House of Justice that every Feast will be a feast of love when the children will give and receive the tangible affection of the community and its individual members.”
(Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)

“As to visitors to a Nineteen Day Feast, Bahá’ís from anywhere in the world should of course be warmly welcomed, and may take part in consultation. However, only members of the local community can vote on recommendations to the Local Spiritual Assembly.”
(Letter from the Universal House of Justice)

“With regard to your question concerning the use of music in the Nineteen Day Feasts, he wishes you to assure all the friends that not only he approves of such a practice, but thinks it even advisable that the believers should make use, in their meetings, of hymns composed by Bahá’ís themselves, and also of such hymns, poems and chants as are based on the Holy Words.”
(Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated April 7, 1935)

“The social portion transcends polite formalities, becoming the joyous reunion of ardent lovers, of tested companions united in a common purpose, whose conversations are elevated by spiritual themes.”
(Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)