...continuation (see previous post for introduction)
March 08, 2017
"O SON OF BEING! My love is My stronghold; he that entereth therein is safe and secure, and he that turneth away shall surely stray and perish."
-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 9)
Food for the body:
My Mom and I made a Nigerian breakfast this morning - egg stew and yam (call it tomato omelet, if you may). How to make it: saute onions and garlic until a little brown, then throw in some sliced tomatoes. In the meantime, scramble some eggs in a bowl, then when the tomatoes are a bit soft, pour the eggs over the tomatoes. In Nigeria they usually scramble the eggs on the pan, as they're being cooked, so it becomes scrambled omelet...but we didn't do that. The yam is just boiled - in Nigeria the yam is white, but there's no white yam here; just purple (Filipinos call it ube *not the sweet one*). If you don't have yam, you can just boil potatoes - tastes almost the same. I said *almost the same* ... I know my Nigerian readers might react violently (yam and potatoes do NOT taste the same) I know...but that's the closest taste comparison I could make hehe
Even if this is your 20th fasting-versary (lol), it always takes some getting used to in the beginning. Each year we fast, we realize it's always a different experience - it was different when I was fasting as a student, when I was fasting while on a holiday, and now fasting as an employee. This year I made more effort to read the Holy Writings - before, I would just pray in the morning and that's it, but this time I wanted to make my fasting a more holistic, more meaningful experience. So for the first week I selected quotations related to the Fast, because I felt it would really help me adjust better and gain a deeper understanding of what I'm doing and it has also helped me in sharing with others (who ask) why I'm doing what I'm doing.
For this second week of the Fast, I'm selecting 7 quotations from The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah (Part I: Arabic). I'm selecting the quotations by the nines...so quotations #9, 19, 29...etc 😃
Food for the soul:
"O SON OF THE WONDROUS VISION! I have breathed within thee a breath of My own Spirit, that thou mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken Me and sought a beloved other than Me?"
-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 19)
-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 19)
Food for the body:
I made shawarma for breakfast! Onions, chicken strips (marinated in shawarma spices) and potatoes fried altogether - with very little oil. The bread is Lebanese bread - we brought from Nigeria a few months ago. I spread some tahini sauce on the bread, put the chicken & potatoes, some fresh onions and olives and rolled away. I opted for something meaty and a little heavier this morning because I had a bad tummy all afternoon yesterday (full of gas - I can't figure out what caused it), so when I got home last night I just had soup and slept earlier than usual. I knew the light dinner would make me very hungry this morning, and hungry I was indeed. Only down side is...my breath has been smelling onions all day!😓
The first twenty quotations in the Hidden Words revolve around God's love for us - which, Baha'u'llah says, is why God created us in the first place, and we should love God, above all, because none other than Him can ever suffice us. I love how in the Faith we are always, always encouraged to reflect and ponder on the writings, even if it's just a simple sentence. If the writings were to be taken literally, there would be no mysteries to unlock. So when God tells us to love Him and only Him "...There is no peace for thee save by renouncing thyself and turning unto Me" and "...Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit", one might ask, how about love for my family, friends, etc? I remember from the short obligatory prayer that our purpose in life is to know and to worship God. How do we worship God? One way is by serving mankind (this is taught in all major religions). Therefore, showing love to God is through showing love to mankind (family, friends, strangers). It's a circle. If we love people for just one reason today, that reason could easily change tomorrow, but if we love people for the sole reason of loving God, then we will never stop loving them because God is eternal. So I feel like this quotation means that it always boils down to loving God first and foremost, before and above anything else because we can never truly love anything or anyone else save through acknowledging that God has also breathed within others His spirit. And all He ever wants us to do is to love Him back. Hence, if God is breathed within other people, then even more reason to love them!
Funny thing I just realized is that fasting sort of makes me a little bit more quiet than usual. Sometimes I feel that the more I walk around/mingle with people (the more active I am), the more tired I'll get. Then every afternoon, because of not having anything in my stomach, I get the stinky breath (CAN YOU RELATE?!) So if anyone asks why I've been a bit anti-social during this fasting, "Sorry, I can't show you much love right now because I'm working on my relationship with God at the moment" lol! 😂😂
March 10, 2017
Food for the soul:"O SON OF BEING! Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not. This is My command to thee, do thou observe it."
-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 29)
Food for the body:
Up to this day, some of my colleagues still ask me is it not hard? don't you get thirsty? are you not hungry? I once laughed and told one of them "you're worrying for me more than I'm worrying for myself." And she replied "because I can't imagine going through the whole day without food or water". I replied "that's why you eat breakfast, so you're not on an empty stomach, and as the days go on you get used to it". Then I asked myself, is this really hard? The Muslims have a longer fast, and over the last few years Ramadan has been falling during the summer months - so it's harder for them because of the heat. But no one complains, and no one has ever died from fasting (that is, the proper fasting - as guided by your religion or a medical doctor).
I found the answer to my question in a quotation by Baha'u'llah in which He says that God "will never deal unjustly with any one, neither will He task a soul beyond its power. He, verily, is the Compassionate, the All-Merciful." See, it's right there - God never makes us do more than we are capable of ❤
Food for the soul:
"O SON OF MAN! Neglect not My commandments if thou lovest My beauty, and forget not My counsels if thou wouldst attain My good pleasure".
-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 39)
Food for the body:-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 39)
Pizza for breakfast?! Why not! Some of us eat cheese, ham and tomatoes and toasted bread in the morning. How about put them all together! We topped our sliced bread with fresh tomatoes, some bits of ham and two kinds of cheese - mozzarella and cheddar, then baked in the oven for a few minutes (I've blogged about Bread Pizza before - click here). It's basically like your typical toasted bread with cheese and tomatoes. This breakfast was surprisingly really light, yet very filling. I think I should have this more often.
Another thing I just thought of is that it's also important we inform our friends that this fasting we're doing is not a "tradition" or a "ritual". It is a law. The Bahá'i Faith is not tied down to one country or one culture; it's extremely universal. I feel like rituals or traditions are more things you do because people have been doing for generations, so you just follow. People don't really question traditions or rituals, they just do it, many times without even knowing why. But not we know fasting is not a ritual or a tradition that we do without questioning - it is instead a law - its reasons are explained by Baha'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá, and we follow out of love for God. Not eating lunch is just the tip of the iceberg.
March 12, 2017
Food for the soul:
"O SON OF MAN! The true lover yearneth for tribulation even as doth the rebel for forgiveness and the sinful for mercy."
-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 49)
Food for the body:-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 49)
I made sushi last night for breakfast this morning! If you're interested to know how I made it you can check out my sushi blog post (click here) which I made a few months ago. But it's basically seaweed paper, Japanese rice, pickled vegetables, ham and chili paste - rolled up and sliced! With the view of the sleeping city.
*Filipinos have rice for breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts. Being half Filipino, the desire for rice kicks in once in a while, but since I find it impossible to eat rice at 5 in the morning, I thought sushi would be an easy, lighter was to have some rice :)
*Filipinos have rice for breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts. Being half Filipino, the desire for rice kicks in once in a while, but since I find it impossible to eat rice at 5 in the morning, I thought sushi would be an easy, lighter was to have some rice :)
The funniest thing happened this evening. I spent the afternoon at a meeting at the National Baha'i Center in Sucat, Then around 5.30 pm when I was about to leave and go home, I met four friends who rounding up another meeting they were having. They told me they're going to the house of one of the Baha'is who lives near there to break the fast, so I accepted the invitation to join them. We left at 6pm, just five minute before sunset. The four of us reached the housing estate at around 6.20, but we got lost. The only person who had been there before had forgotten the street name, and the place was really really big. It was also dark. She tried calling the host and other friends who she thought might be there but no one was picking up! This was already 6.30, then one of the friends said "maybe they're still praying" so I just kept driving and driving, until it was almost 6.45 and when we called again still no one was picking up! Someone said "I don't think they're still praying, it's way past sunset" then I replied "not unless someone is saying the long fasting prayer!" We burst laughing. (According to my Baha'i Prayers app, one of the long fasting prayers is 1,563 words and another 1,949 words). Can I call this a Baha'i joke? :) It wasn't until 7pm that four of us finally broke our fast (and no, they weren't praying when we arrived. Everyone was already half way with their dinner! I guess they were so caught up with the dinner, no one paid attention to their phone). I'd normally break my fast with hot tea or soup, but this time I just dove right into all I found on the table and filled my plate with noodles and pork and salad because "There is no time to lose, there is no time left for vacillation. Multitudes hunger for the bread of life..." haha! That quote from Book 4 just came into my mind now. Another Baha'i joke! :))
For more Baha'i humour, check out the memes on this tumblr page
(yes, only Baha'is would understand😂😂)
Food for the soul:
"O SON OF BEING! Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation."
-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 59)
-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 59)
This morning I realized we're down to the last 7 days! It's exciting because NAWRUZ is at the end of this week, but a little sad because it means we will be back to being extravagantly materialistic consumerists (just kidding!!) You know how the whole world does this "New Years Resolutions" list every December...setting goals for the whole year? I think most people aren't able to fulfil or stick to those goals because you can't just force yourself to start something or completely change. Change is a gradual process. Fasting has given us a chance to reflect and make the necessary adjustments for 19 days before the New Year. Fasting encourages us to think through, and also set goals because naturally when you reflect on your life, you will see the things that need improvement...then Nawruz comes and everyone gets together to celebrate and spirits are uplifted and it becomes so much easier to continue the goals you've set during the fast. Beautiful, isn't it?!
What are your Nawruz Resolutions? I'll take today's quotation to be my Nawruz Resolution - to clean the heart so that God can descent to it :) Baha'u'llah tells us that our hearts is the home of God. We should keep our hearts clean and pure so that He will be happy to stay with us! Then when God stays in our hearts, our hearts will automatically reflect Him in all that we do.
Oh and I almost forgot - I made mushroom omelet and baked beans for breakfast. #Farzinthekitchen
March 14, 2017
Food for the soul:
"O YE SONS OF SPIRIT! Ye are My treasury, for in you I have treasured the pearls of My mysteries and the gems of My knowledge. Guard them from the strangers amidst My servants and from the ungodly amongst My people."
-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 69)
Food for the body:-Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic, No. 69)
Remember when I said last week that I've given up coffee because of the fast? So this has been my new friend. Green tea. We're not best friends though. Just new friends...not as close as a friend, maybe more like an acquaintance. Sorry tea, but you're just not my cup of tea. But don't feel bad dear tea - it's not you; it's me 😁
Mug from Asah-Bara