Daily Reading of the Bahai Writings Shoghi Effendi
Photo courtesy of the Baha'i International Community
I beloved reading quotations from Baha'u'llah, Abdu'fifty-Baha, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice. I usually take one book from each of them or compilations that include all of them in my reading pile along with my prayer book. But it wasn't always that way.
I read a book or two of the Writings or about the Religion when I was a teenager. I liked them, just I didn't feel the need to read much more. When I was 16, my brother and I went on Baha'i pilgrimage to Israel together, and I drew closer to the Faith. In the Shrine of Baha'u'llah, I fervently promised Him that I would read a lot and really study the books and teachings of the Faith. Unfortunately, it was a hope that I didn't keep.
I married at age 19 and discovered I was in a very hard marriage. I thought surely God was punishing me for something, and I stopped praying or following the teachings. By age 23 I had a baby and began, thankfully, getting help for both of united states. Part of that was turning back to God and the Faith. At that point I began to keep my hope, and the teachings poured healing energy into me. I committed to never plow abroad over again.
Each time I have read a volume since then, I marking the date in it when I'one thousand done and so I know I'm keeping my promises. With many newly released translations over the years, and the demand to re-read many books, I never feel like I'm "done"! Role of what I love about this reading is finding all the fabulous, helpful, and joyful uses for quotations and prayers – there are different ways in which I use the Writings in my daily life for my own spiritual transformation, and means in which I use them to connect with others and have elevated conversations.
Reading the Divine guidance is like a daily re-scale procedure for me. It'south like stepping on a weight scale and you can't really estimate if you are a good for you weight unless the calibration is calibrated properly. When I read quotations, they calibrate me with a daily cheque of my alignment with the teachings. The quotations also inspire me to maintain my connection to Baha'u'llah. Lately I've been reading these paragraphs from the Universal House of Justice from 1992, the Holy Yr marking the 100th anniversary of the passing of Baha'u'llah and the starting time of His Covenant that had u.s. turn to Abdu'fifty-Baha. I beloved them because they renew my appreciation of the Gift Baha'u'llah is to humanity and my response to His teachings:
"…reverberate with due solemnity upon the redemptive purpose of the life of the most precious Beingness ever to accept drawn breath on this planet."one
"…this is a special time for a rendezvous of the soul with the Source of its calorie-free and guidance, a time to plough to Baha'u'llah, to seek to obtain a deeper appreciation of His purpose, to renew allegiance to Him. This is a fourth dimension of retreat to one'due south innermost being, to the home-identify of the Spirit of Baha, that interior to which He summons us when He says: 'Turn thy sight unto thyself, that grand mayest detect Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and cocky-subsisting.' This is a time for recommitment to the Covenant, for rededication to duty, for revitalizing the energy for teaching, the 'almost meritorious of all deeds.'"ii
When it comes to my daily uses of the Writings, I have found that saying my Obligatory prayer each twenty-four hour period and reading or reciting the Writings every morning and evening helps me follow Baha'u'llah'south guidance, "Be 1000 steadfast in the Cause of God and extol thy Lord morn and eve."3 Sometimes I study texts in more than depth, especially when I'g learning nigh a specific topic related to my work or my own personal interests – topics such as the Covenant and its unifying effect on family life. If I am struggling with an issue or stuck in worrying about something, I find it helpful to listen to the Writings put to music, for example with Baha'i Blog's Studio Sessions. Listening is uplifting and re-centering, and it also helps me experience connected to the people singing from all over the earth. I don't alive in Baha'i community, and so information technology is a special treat to travel and participate in devotional gatherings where participants share and reflect on the Writings in a group setting.
Regardless of the method, this spiritual nourishment for my soul helps me "get like thirsty fish swimming in the pools of Thy guidance"4, transform my character, and learn and apply the true messages of the teachings. Then teaching others about the Religion through weaving quotations naturally into our conversations and interactions with them is an amazing source of joy and grace.
When I'm reading in the mornings I oftentimes find and share quotations with family and friends. I honey to spot ones that might be helpful for what they are going through in their lives. Sharing spiritual messages draws us closer together in unity, whether it's shared in a text, a phone telephone call, or a conversation in person. For instance, my husband and stepson are both launching and growing circuitous businesses in service to others, and this newly translated prayer I found was just perfect to share with them:
"O God! Grant Thy favour, and bestow Thy blessing. Vouchsafe Thy grace, and requite a portion of Thy bounty. Enable these men to witness during this year the fulfilment of their hopes. Transport downwards Thy heavenly rain, and provide Thy plenteousness and abundance. Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty."5
Transforming my life and our lives through reading and prayer is not easy and takes consistency and perseverance. I think information technology can be easy at times for us to fall into being judgmental virtually others and desire them to live up to the Teachings in the way we think they should. It can besides be piece of cake for us to take quotations and misuse them to make ourselves feel guilty and like failures. When we become critical of others or harsh with ourselves, nosotros tin can forget to exercise respect, and nosotros step out of being loving. Demonstrating loving-kindness and mercy are more probable to take us apply the Writings in a way that inspires us to practice better day by mean solar day. I find these words of the Business firm of Justice very uplifting and worthy of repeated study:
"[E]ffort [is] sustained past hostage desire, non instantaneous perfection. The qualities and habits of idea and action that narrate Baha'i life are adult through daily exertion. 'Bring thyself to account each 24-hour interval', writes Baha'u'llah. 'Let each morn be better than its eve', He advises, 'and each morrow richer than its yesterday.' The friends should not lose center in their personal struggles to attain to the Divine standard, nor exist seduced by the argument that, since mistakes volition inevitably be fabricated and perfection is impossible, it is futile to exert an endeavor. They are to steer clear of the pitfalls of hypocrisy, on the one hand—that is, saying one thing all the same doing another—and heedlessness, on the other—that is, disregard for the laws, ignoring or explaining away the demand to follow them. And so too is paralysis engendered by guilt to be avoided; indeed, preoccupation with a item moral failing can, at times, make it more than challenging for it to be overcome."6
Information technology can likewise be easy to become distracted and busy, leading us to skip taking time to read the Writings. For me that becomes like skipping meals – I go empty and cranky. I hope sharing my experiences encourages others to share in this vital spiritual nutrient.
- The Universal Business firm of Justice, A Wider Horizon, Selected Letters 1983-1992, p. 226 [↩]
- The Universal House of Justice, Ibid., pp. 232-233 [↩]
- Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 178 [↩]
- Abdu'fifty-Baha, Boosted Prayers Revealed by Abdu'fifty-Baha [↩]
- Ibid. [↩]
- On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, April nineteen, 2013, to iii individuals [↩]
Source: https://www.bahaiblog.net/2019/07/why-i-love-reading-and-sharing-the-bahai-writings/
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