For the tongue is a smoldering fire

Steffi, reading a prayer

During our Ruhi Book 6 study circle two days ago, our group came across this Writing by Bahá'u'lláh, which encourages all of us to memorize phrases and passages from the Holy Writings, because there is no more powerful tool in touching the hearts of men:

“The sanctified souls should ponder and meditate in their hearts regarding the methods of teaching. From the texts of the wondrous, heavenly Scriptures they should memorize phrases and passages bearing on various instances, so that in the course of their speech they may recite divine verses whenever the occasion demandeth it, inasmuch as these holy verses are the most potent elixir, the greatest and mightiest talisman. So potent is their influence that the hearer will have no cause for vacillation. I swear by My life! This Revelation is endowed with such a power that it will act as the lodestone for all nations and kindreds of the earth. Should one pause to meditate attentively he would recognize that no place is there, nor can there be, for anyone to flee to.”

We talked about the words "elixir" --meaning magical or medicinal, and "talisman" -- meaning something that brings good luck, and how they were used to describe the power of the Holy Verses. How lucky are we that the hundreds of books and the thousands of Tablets written by the hands of Bahá'u'lláh have been preserved and are accessible to us not just on our book shelves but now on our little gadgets in our pockets! They are there for everyone; not just for Bahá'is - so there is no longer a need to interpret and paraphrase the verses in our own words or understanding, when they are openly available in its purest forms, for all of humanity to consume!

A few sections later, we came across a paragraph by the Guardian (the authoritative interpreter of the Bahá'i Writings), who further explains to us one of the wisdoms behind memorizing the Sacred Texts: 

“Surely the ideal way of teaching is to prove our points by constant reference to the actual words of Baha’u’llah and the Master. This will save the Cause from being misinterpreted by individuals… The more deep our studies the more we can understand the significance of the Teachings… To deepen in the Cause means to read the Writings of Baha’u’llah and the Master so thoroughly as to be able to give it to others in its pure form.”

Then in our group, we asked each other, do you have a favorite quotation you ALWAYS share whenever you are teaching the Faith to others? We laughed when we remembered the story behind my Dad's favorite quotation, which my Mom shared with us last meeting "The earth is but one country and mankind's its citizens" (story is two blogposts ago -- click here). 

My mom looked at me and said, I know you know mine. I smiled and said, is it the one about being created rich?! “O SON OF SPIRIT! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.”

Steff said she'd have to think more about it. Ruhiyyih said the quote she always loves to share is from Abdu'l-Bahá: "When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love."

When it came to my turn, I shared that I don't usually quote directly from Bahá'u'lláh when I introduce the Faith to others. I usually share lines from some of the talks given by Abdu'l-Bahá. I almost always start with the three main tenets (the Oneness of God, Oneness of Religion and the Oneness of Mankind), so when I elaborate on the third tenet, I present Abdu'l-Bahá's explanation of unity in diversity: 

“Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in kind, color, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm and addeth unto their beauty. How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruit, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and color! Diversity of hues, form and shape enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas and convictions of the children of men.”

I now realized that I definitely need to make more conscious effort to memorize some of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, to be able to share with others during my conversations. Whenever I come across quotations that I really love, or really speak to me at that moment, I design a simple photo for my laptop's background. My current desktop is this:

background by Joe Paczkowski

This is the wall on top of my bedroom desk - it's filled with posters/cards
with Bahá'i Writings. They were all given to me as gifts from
friends around the world (India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Chile and Guam!)

My favorite card on the wall is the big one with pink borders, it was given to me on the night of my farewell dinner after completing my year of service in India (as a Junior Youth Empowerment Program volunteer teacher at City Montessori School, Lucknow). It reads:

"To teach is to learn, 

To learn is to work, 

To work is to serve, 

To serve is to love, 

To love is to die, 

To die is to live, 

To live is to strive, 

To strive is to rise above 

all early limitations

and enter the Eternal Realm."

-'Abdu'l-Bahá

I also remember that for the longest time, this quotation from the Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh "O SON OF MAN! Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more" was my absolute favorite, because it always gave me peace and comfort. It's very similar to the latest prayer I memorized/put into chant:

“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.” 

✴✷ ✴ ✷✴

What about you? What's your favorite quotation? What's a line/verse from the Bahá'i Writings you always quote whenever you introduce the Bahá'i Faith?

Book 6 study group, Makati, Metro Manila

2018 Fasting Diary: Week 3

...continuation

Week 1/introduction (click here)

Week 2 (click here)

March 16, 2018
Food for the soul: Qawl (Speech)

"Whoso ariseth among you to teach the Cause of his Lord, let him, before all else, teach his own self, that his speech may attract the hearts of them that hear him. Unless he teacheth his own self, the words of his mouth will not influence the heart of the seeker. Take heed, O people, lest ye be of them that give good counsel to others but forget to follow it themselves. The words of such as these, and beyond the words the realities of all things, and beyond these realities the angels that are nigh unto God, bring against them the accusation of falsehood."

Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

Food for the body:

Breakfast drink: banana + milk/peanut butter/ chia seeds shake

When I logged into my social media accounts last night to share my previous blog entry, I stumbled across several photo uploads (on a group/forum) of what some of the Bahá'is all around the world have been eating for breakfast during the Fast! There are people who only need two mugs of coffee to get through the entire day; a lot of people with colorful plates (toasted bread and avocado; Greek yoghurt with strawberries and blueberries); granola/protein bars; cereal and oat meal; some people just munch on a handful of nuts; MOST people have egg-full breakfasts (boiled, scrambled, poached); a couple of vegetarians/vegans showing their healthy salad bowls; some just have a piece of fruit or make a fruit shake; and some, like my aunt in Iran, just have two dates and a cup of tea. I haven't seen any photo/comment of someone eating rice + a savory dish for breakfast (my Filipino friends, where you at?!) The food posts, in my opinion, really show the diversity/the multi-cultural background of the worldwide Bahá'i community. It was also funny reading comments of people from different time zones saying that the posts were making them hungry, as they had 3 or 4 more hours to go; some would share that they missed breakfast because they slept in; and the comments that I could very well relate to were about how many alarm clocks we set for each morning (haha!). It's very comforting and strengthening to see how we're all in this together! 

A man in the comments section wrote something that really stood out to me. Here's what he wrote: "I think the main purpose of physical fast may be to actually feel the hunger and to feel discomfort, as a metaphor to understand how our soul gets starved and unhealthy if we don't nourish it with spiritual food and meditation regularly." I think this was so beautifully put together. And today's quotation is about how our speech and utterance should attract the hearts of men! 

Coincidentally too, one of the quotations I have to memorize this week, before our Ruhi Book 6 session on Sunday, is "O thou seeker of the Kingdom of God! If thou wishest thy speech and utterance to take effect in the hardened hearts, be thou severed from all attachment to this world and turn unto the Kingdom of God. Enkindle the fire of the love of God in the heart with such intensity that thou mayest before a flame of fire and a luminous lamp of guidance. At that time thy speech will take effect within the hearts, through the confirmation of the Holy Spirit."

✦
March 17, 2018
Food for the soul: Masa'il (Questions)

"O thou maid-servant of God! Whenever thou art desiring to talk and answer questions, 

turn thy face toward the Kingdom of Abhá and beseech for assistance; then loosen thy tongue. Thou wilt behold at that time how thou art able to answer all the questions!"

Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá

Food for the body:

Today is my Dad's birthday, and even though he is not here with us, we still celebrated at home with a few friends. My parents, brother and I always celebrate each other's birthdays, no matter where we are/even when we're all in four different places. We'd always invite a few friends over, have dinner and cake, take pictures (to send to each other) and sometimes video call to greet each other's guests. #LongDistanceFamilyLife 

Dinner by my mom: khoresht bademjan, lechon paksiw,
pinakbet, pancit, dynamite.
Pizza by me.
Cakes from Mona and Rita

✴ I'd like to share our Dynamite recipe -- this was the first time my mom has ever prepared this popular Filipino street food and it was literally da bomb! First you cut open a big chilli pepper and remove the seeds inside, then stuff it with slices of mozzarella and ground meat (ground meat that has been sautéed with diced garlic and onions), then wrap is all up with spring roll wrapper. Deep fry and enjoy! ✴

Dynamite (stuffed chilli peppers)

I was extremely impressed with how my Mom was able to cook ALL these dishes without accidentally tasting anything (because she started preparing early in the afternoon). When I was reading a thread on funny fasting stories, it was very common to read comments by people who have accidentally licked their fingers while cooking to check the salt/pepper level, and absent-mindedly picked up and ate tiny pieces of ingredients that fell on the table. Here are some of the really funny stories I read:

Today and yesterday's quotation are very well related. Yesterday's was about how our action and words must be coherent, and how our words have the power to affect the hardened hearts or influence others. Today's quote goes deeper into the quality of speech we utter. It's not all the time that we're the only ones to do all the talking. Most times, we get questions thrown at us. Sometimes we can answer these questions if we really prepare before hand, but there are times too that we won't have the chance to prepare and need to rely on Divine intervention. This Divine intervention can only come to us when we create room in our hearts and minds for it and humbly exhort it. "...turn thy face toward the Kingdom of Abhá and beseech for assistance..." 

✦
March 18, 2018
Food for the soul: Sharaf (Honour)

"They who are possessed of riches, however, must have the utmost regard for the poor, for great is the honor destined by God for those poor who are steadfast in patience. By My life! There is no honor, except what God may please to bestow, that can compare to this honor. Great is the blessedness awaiting the poor that endure patiently and conceal their sufferings, and well is it with the rich who bestow their riches on the needy and prefer them before themselves. 

Please God, the poor may exert themselves and strive to earn the means of livelihood. 

This is a duty which, in this most great Revelation, hath been prescribed unto every one,
 and is accounted in the sight of God as a goodly deed. Whoso observeth this duty, the help of the invisible 
One shall most certainly aid him. He can enrich, through His grace, 
whomsoever He pleaseth. He, verily, hath power over all things..."

Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

Food for the body:

Cooling down my hot chocolate. 
The last few minutes before the sun sets are always the brightest ✴
My mug has a story! CLICK HERE to read

I went to the Bahá'i Center today because our Book 6 didn't push through. We spent majority of our time planning for our Nawruz celebration on Tuesday night (exciting!). To be completely honest, majority of our planning revolved around deciding who brings what food for the potluck dinner! hehe

Like I wrote a few times over the last two weeks, one of the biggest things we get to reflect on during this period is about the conditions of the less fortunate. The little physical discomforts we feel when we don't get to eat or drink for 12 hours are nothing compared to what a large number of people in our world go through every day. So who are we to complain? Who are we to ever think that being able to afford three square meals a day makes us more honorable than those who can't? Suddenly all these hashtag "first world problems" memes seem relevant: a person who opens their fridge that's full of food and snacks and can't decide what to eat/doesn't have an appetite for anything that exists in the fridge complains more or appears more ungrateful than a person who does not even have a fridge or literally has nothing to eat. I love this part of the quotation so much "Great is the blessedness awaiting the poor that endure patiently and conceal their sufferings..." What matters more than what we have is our attitude. We can have so little, yet we need not be sad; we can still be happy. We can have so much, yet we need not keep it all; we can still be generous.

✦
March 19, 2018
Food for the soul: Sultan (Sovereignty)

"Place not thy reliance on thy treasures. Put thy whole confidence in the grace of God, thy Lord. Let Him be thy trust in whatever thou doest, and be of them that have submitted themselves to His Will. Let Him be thy helper and enrich thyself with His treasures, for with Him are the treasuries of the heavens and of the earth. He bestoweth them upon whom He will, and from whom He will He withholdeth them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Possessing, the All-Praised. 

All are but paupers at the door of His mercy; all are helpless before the revelation of 

His sovereignty, and beseech His favors."

Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

Food for the body:

My mom prepared a Nigerian-inspired breakfast this morning,
Nigerian because of the yam and egg stew, but not exactly...
because here we used purple yam, and
a lot more veggies (egg plant and green pepper)

There are many little things that happened during these Fasting days that normally don't happen on regular days, and I know I'm going to miss them. Waking up before my mom; Drinking tea (not so sure I'll miss this though. Story behind the tea is in last week's blog post); Saying prayers with my mom before eating in the evening; Watching the sun go down (I always thought 20 minutes is short and goes by quickly, but now I know how slooooowwww 20 minutes actually is haha). 

Today's quote, again, is about true wealth. I find this little part interesting "Let Him be thy helper and enrich thyself with His treasures, for with Him are the treasuries of the heavens and of the earth..." I'm so accustomed to reading about treasures in the spiritual sense, but here it talks about material treasures too! Then I came across another quotation by Bahá'u'lláh where this concept seems to be expounded: "Should a man wish to adorn himself with the ornaments of the earth, to wear its apparels, or partake of the benefits it can bestow, no harm can befall him, if he alloweth nothing whatever to intervene between him and God, for God hath ordained every good thing, whether created in the heavens or in the earth, for such of His servants as truly believe in him. Eat ye, O people, of the good things which God hath allowed you, and deprive not yourselves from His wondrous bounties. Render thanks and praise unto Him, and be of them that are truly thankful." 

It's really beautiful because it helps us understand that the aim was never to make us give up, throw away or neglect the things we are fortunate to have. Yes, during the Fast we learn about moderation, we learn about detachment, we learn about starving (physical and spiritual), but more than anything, we learn about being thankful for EVERYTHING that we have.

✦
March 20, 2018
Food for the soul: Mulk (Dominion)

"Say: True liberty consisteth in man's submission unto My commandments, little as ye know it. Were men to observe that which We have sent down unto them from the Heaven of Revelation, they would, of a certainty, attain unto perfect liberty. Happy is the man that hath  apprehended the Purpose of God in whatever  He hath revealed from the Heaven of His Will, that pervadeth all created things.  Say: The liberty that profiteth you is to be found nowhere except in  complete servitude unto God, the Eternal Truth. Whoso hath tasted of its sweetness will refuse to barter it for all 
the dominion of earth and heaven."

Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

Food for the body:

Nawruz celebration at the South Luzon Regional Bahá'i Center
(Manila cluster)

When I got to the Bahá'i Center this evening, I saw some friends whose faces I had last seen exactly one year ago - last Nawruz! We had quite a laugh, realizing this. After a few prayers, we dived right into dinner. Even though there was SO much food laid out on the table (potluck), I had very little appetite. I only had sopas (a Filipino soup with chicken, macaroni, evaporated milk and a few veggies --prepared by my mom) and a little slice of cake and a scoop of ice cream. After about an hour, we headed back upstairs to continue the program. The readings I selected were all from talks given by Abdu'l-Bahá, about the history of Nawruz and the significance of the vernal equinox. Here's one of my favorite (a talk Abdu'l-Bahá gave on March 21st, 1913, in Paris), which I published in two parts on instagram:

also please follow @BahaiPhilippines on Instagram!

I then encouraged the friends to share their insights on the readings as well as reflections from their Fast. Here were the stories that were shared: 

One lady said that this was the first year that she fasted alone (at home). She'd always give herself a whole hour to eat her breakfast, so that she could digest slowly. Every single morning while having breakfast, she'd turn on the internet and listen to web-talks on the Wilmette Institute website. She said that she really enjoyed listening to talks about members of the Hands of the Cause of God, early pioneers and the history of the Faith. She encouraged us all to explore the website and try listening to some of the web-talks.

One man, who happens to work in the Department of Agriculture, said something very interesting! He said that every year on vernal equinox (March 21st) the oceans all around the world are at its calmest - there's no high tide or low tide on this day. Therefore, it's the perfect time for fishes to breed. More fishes means more food for us! He said this shows how wonderful God is!

A doctor in our midst educated us on the health benefits of the fast -- how science has proven that fasting detoxifies our digestive system and gives it a chance to rest and regenerate. 

Another lady shared that the Fast has given her so many opportunities to teach the Faith because her colleagues (and even office visitors) would constantly ask why she wasn't having lunch, and so she'd have to explain why... 

I shared that one of the greatest things that happened was the release of two members of Yaran  from prison this month! In fact, one was released just today! (Read here). Nawruz is not just the Bahá'i New Year, but it's also the Iranian New Year, and it is a big celebration in Iran (over the next two weeks, families will be together, giving gifts, visiting each other, playing music, having feasts...) it's a very special and elaborate holiday so it's really wonderful that these Bahá'is get to be at home with their loved ones for this occasion. Though we should remember that there is still one more member of Yaran, as well as a couple dozen others in prisons around Iran... JUST BECAUSE of their Faith. A few days ago my aunt in Iran shared with us a photo of a huge banner that was placed in front of the Bahá'i cemetery in our city, stating that no one is allowed to be buried there anymore. When Bahá'is are alive, they have no place in universities, in government offices, in private businesses, not even in their homes, and now they don't even have a place for when they're dead?! We should continue to pray for the Bahá'is of Iran, and hope that all this senseless injustice will finally come to an end.

May our Fast be accepted. 

✦✦✦

I wish you all a HAPPY NAWRUZ!

and a big thank you to everyone who made it this far in my blog! 

'til next year... 

2018 Fasting Diary: Week 2

...continuation 

For introduction, click here for Part 1

March 09, 2018
Food for the soul: Kalimat (Words)

"The essence of charity is for the servant to recount the blessings of his Lord, and to render thanks unto Him at all times and under all conditions. The essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds; he whose words exceed his deeds, know verily his death is better than his life. The essence of true safety is to observe silence, to look at the end of things and to renounce the world. The beginning of magnanimity is when man expendeth his wealth on himself, on his family and on the poor among his brethren in his Faith. The essence of wealth is love for Me; whoso loveth Me is the possessor of all things, and he that loveth Me not is indeed of the poor and needy. 
This is that which the Finger of Glory and Splendour hath revealed."

Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh

Food for the body:

My mom prepared some monggo beans with veggies for dinner

The last thing I wrote in my blog yesterday was about the hot weather, and immediately after I clicked published, I looked out my window and saw it was drizzling! We had our first rain in several weeks, so the weather cooled down a great deal. It was still drizzling this morning, which means that for the first time this week, I didn't see the sun rise; the sky changed from dark blue to dark grey while we were having breakfast. 

Today's quotation reminded me so much of Ayyam-i-há, because a lot of the readings I selected for one of our celebrations the other week was about wealth. It's really interesting how the four days before the Fast are all about charity, giving gifts, giving away something from you to others... then comes the Fast which is about giving up. We give up food, water and our carnal desires. We give away and give up so that we learn to see what's left...what's really important...what remains at the end of the day which is "The essence of wealth is love for Me; whoso loveth Me is the possessor of all things..." 

✦
March 10, 2018
Food for the soul: Kamal (Perfection)

"Man reacheth perfection through good deeds, voluntarily performed, not through good deeds the doing of which was forced upon him. And sharing is a personally chosen righteous act: that is, the rich should extend assistance to the poor, they should expend their substance for the poor, but of their own free will, and not because the poor have gained this end by force. For the harvest of force is turmoil and the ruin of the social order. On the other hand voluntary sharing, the freely-chosen expending of one's substance, leadeth to society's comfort and peace. It lighteth up the world; it bestoweth honour upon humankind."

Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá

Food for the body:

My mom and I tried something new this evening - a
delicious flavorful Japanese street food called
Takoyaki (octopus dumpling)

My fasting nightmare just happened... period! So, I'm not fasting today. FYI, I only learnt about this Fast exemption (for women who are menstruating) only two years ago. I was with my Dad when he told me I didn't need to fast, then I said, "I don't mind, I can still fast because I don't experience any pain or discomfort; it really doesn't make any difference," then he said "there's a reason Bahá'u'lláh exempted you". Just to be completely sure, I decided to look it up in the Kitab-i-Aqdas and here's what I found written in the Notes section at the back - Page 173, paragraph 20:

    "Exemption from obligatory prayer and fasting is granted to women who are menstruating; they should, instead, perform their ablutions and repeat 95 times a day between one noon and the next, the verse "Glorified be God, the Lord of Splendour and Beauty". This provision has its antecedent in the Arabic Bayán, where a similar dispensation was granted. 

         In some earlier religious Dispensations, women in their courses were considered ritually unclean and were forbidden to observe the duties of prayer and fasting. The concept of ritual uncleanliness has been abolished by Bahá'u'lláh. 

         The Universal House of Justice has clarified that the provisions of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas granting exemptions from certain duties and responsibilities are, as the world indicates, exemptions and not prohibitions. Any believer is, therefore, free to avail himself or herself of an applicable exemption if he or she so wishes. However, the Universal House of Justice counsels that, in deciding whether to do so or not, the believer should use wisdom and realize that Bahá'u'lláh has granted these exemptions for good reason..."

After reading this, it became very clear to me that this is an exemption, not a prohibition. Out of curiosity, I decided to look up on the Why? You're not going to find these reasons in the Holy Book; that's why in the Bahá'i Faith science and religion should go hand in hand and support each other. So I read a couple of articles about this topic, written by nutritionists and in the process I learnt a lot about my body, my health and well-being. I really appreciate how in the Writings, there are no rigid laws. When certain things are not explicitly covered, we're encouraged to make "prayerful and conscientious consideration of the principles and carry out our decision with a clear conscience." As the Universal House of Justice puts it, "the believe should use wisdom". See, even though my Dad told me about this, I still made sure to read it through my own eyes and reflect further because you'll appreciate the laws/teachings more when you try to understand why you do what you're doing. "Man reacheth perfection through good deeds, voluntarily performed, not through good deeds the doing of which was forced upon him." 

✦
March 11, 2018
Food for the soul: Asma (Names)

"But the question may be asked: How shall we know God? We know Him by His attributes. We know Him by His signs. We know Him by His names. We know not what the reality of the sun is, but we know the sun by the ray, by the heat, by its efficacy and penetration. We recognize the sun by its bounty and effulgence, but as to what constitutes the reality of the solar energy, that is unknowable to us. The attributes characterizing the sun, however, are knowable. If we wish to come in touch with the reality of Divinity, we do so by recognizing its phenomena, its attributes and traces, which are widespread in the universe."

Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace

Food for the body:

Cream cheese and strawberry jam on toasted bread for breakky
(and meet our new kitten!)

Even though I'm still not fasting today, I woke up very early, prepared some toasted bread and spreads for my mom, woke her up then I went back to bed. I was planning to get a short nap before my friends come over for our Ruhi book 6 study but suddenly, my brother showed up at home with a stray kitten he had rescued! My brother and I have a history of rescuing and raising kittens. So as expected, I stayed up, gave the little cutie a bath and some warm milk.... and no, I did not feed her toasted bread; I just wanted her beautiful little face to make it on my blog! 

Book 6 was pretty interesting today. We got to an exercise where we had to write about how the Word of God has personally transformed our minds, hearts, thoughts, goals, view of the world, etc. We had a long conversation about this because we couldn't write our answers right away! Me and my two friends were born Bahá'is, meaning we were raised in a Bahá'i family... so did we experience any transformation, especially since Bahá'u'lláh's teachings are all we've ever known? I said yes, I still get to experience changes... because there are so many other things that influence our personality, our habits... sometimes we don't realize that certain opinions we hold or decisions we make are contrary to what the Word of God is. The more we read and study the Writings, the more hidden gems we discover, so there's always room for growth. For example when I attended the ISGP seminar last December, I learnt new concepts that honestly did transform my ideas about what my goals are. 

My mom (our tutor) shared with us her story about how she became a Bahá'i (five years after marrying my Dad) -- a lot of details I hadn't known before! She grew up Christian in a little town here in the Philippines. In her early 20s she met my Dad and they got married in Nigeria. Back in Port Harcourt (the city I grew up in), there was no Bahá'i Center, so most of the meetings (Feasts, Holy Days, and even NSA meetings back when my Dad was a member) were held at our house. That way, my Mom was always surrounded with Bahá'is and there were lots of Bahá'i books lying around on our tables and shelves. My Dad never forced her to attend even the gatherings at our home, but she liked the company and also found herself scanning through the books. She liked the prayers, so even before she declared, she taught me and my brother Bahá'i prayers. She said that the first quotation she came across was "The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens" by Bahá'u'lláh. She said my Dad was obsessed with this quotation because it was written on every single page of my Dad's company invoice (my Dad's company logo back then was the globe!), and the quotation was also printed on his workers' t-shirts (hilarious!) My brother and I went to an international day care and school, and after dropping the kids off at school, all the moms (majority being house wives) would often hang out at each other's homes, teach each other some food recipes etc. This was a very new culture for my Mom, and seeing how Italian, Lebanese, British, Nigerian, Colombian, Filipino women interacted very pleasantly with each other strengthened her belief in the words and teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. It's like she got to see the Teachings and reality being coherent and it transformed her way of thinking. "...we know the sun by the ray, by the heat, by its efficacy and penetration..."

I always love listening to the stories of new Bahá'is, because it's so inspiring to learn about what they found/what drew them to the Faith. A lot of my born-Bahá'i friends and I  agree that we often take our "comfort zone", the literature and teachings for granted. Especially for me, having a Persian father, I used to rely heavily on the stories he'd pass down to me about his incredible childhood/early adolescence years in Iran and the things he'd learn in dars akhlaq.

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March 12, 2018
Food for the soul: Izzat (Might)

"O Son of Beauty! By My spirit and by My favor! By My mercy and My beauty! 
All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, 
and have written for thee with the pen of might, 
hath been in accordance with thy capacity and understanding, 
not with My state and the melody of My voice." 

Bahá'u'lláh, Arabic Hidden Words

Food for the body:

I made delicious baked ziti last night, and we got to share
it with a Bahá'i family who came over to break the Fast.
This morning, I reheated the left-overs for our breakfast

Last night I was convinced that my period was already ending, so I decided to resume the Fast today. I was completely fine in the morning, then when I woke up after a short nap in the afternoon, the flow suddenly became heavy and I had an excruciating headache; something I've never had before. It was already 4 pm, so I decided to force myself to sleep some more/sleep it out just for another two hours before I can finally have a Panadol, but I was only getting worse. Each time I closed my eyes, I started having nightmares/disturbing visions (this happens when I am extremely stressed). It was 5 pm and I started to talk to my Mom asking what she thought; >> can I break my Fast now? >> I just need a tablet and water... should I really try to wait since there's only one more hour to go? >> I stopped eating 30 minutes before sunrise today, so if I break my fast 30 minutes before sunset that will be okay, right? >>My period didn't really end, so I technically wasn't supposed to fast in the first place today. >>Does a migraine count as being ill? 

She turned to me and said "Do what you want! I'm not a Fasting police!" I burst into laughter. I suddenly remembered a letter written by the Universal House of Justice to a believer who asked about brushing one's teeth during the Fast, and it's written "Keeping the Fast is a spiritual obligation and it is a matter between each believer and God." 

One of the things I understand from today's quotation is that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. Bahá'u'lláh wouldn't have given us these laws if they would not benefit us greatly. "All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy capacity and understanding..." Yes, fasting is obligatory but it has its limits too. Abdu'l-Bahá even warned us about being too hard on ourselves: "Exaggerated fasting destroys the divine forces."  

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March 13, 2018
Food for the soul: Mashiyyat (Will)

"The purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself is to summon all mankind to truthfulness and sincerity, 
to piety and trustworthiness, to resignation and submissiveness to the Will of God, 
to forbearance and kindliness, to uprightness and wisdom. 
His object is to array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, 
and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds."

Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

Food for the body:

Nigerian goat meat pepper soup for dinner

My mom travelled very early this morning, which means I was all alone for breakfast. It really felt different (pretty lonely/boring); I ate so quickly that I was done 30 minutes before sunrise. Come dinner time, I just reheated some amazing goat meat pepper soup (a spicy Nigerian soup with meat and intestines, Cameroonian pepper and scent leaves) which my mom prepared a few days ago. 

I really like today's quotation, and I also like relating all these quotes to the Fast. With the different sorts of pressures exerted upon us by our social circles, the demands of making a living, the distractions of the media... it's so easy for us to get carried away and forget ourselves. But it was never God's Will for humanity to be left alone. If we really open our eyes, we'll see all these signs and arrows pointing us back on track, and one of such blessings are these 19 days... a whole (Badi) month to detoxify our minds and purify our souls from all the distractions that hinder us from growth and from manifesting spiritual attributes we were born to show forth (in the quotation - truthfulness and sincerity, piety and trustworthiness, forbearance and kindliness). A whole month set aside, for us to reflect on our purpose so that we can fulfil God's Will. And all this culminates with Nawruz... new year, new you, new me...😄

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March 14, 2018
Food for the soul: Ilm (Knowledge)

"O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes."

Bahá'u'lláh, Arabic Hidden Words

Food for the body:

breakfast: bangus and rice

I broke away from my usual toasted bread and cream cheese and made myself a typical Filipino breakfast today - rice! and fried milkfish.

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March 15, 2018
Food for the soul: Qudrat (Power)

"Say: The first and foremost testimony establishing His truth is His own Self. Next to this testimony is His Revelation. For whoso faileth to recognize either the one or the other He hath established the words He hath revealed as proof of His reality and truth. This is, verily, an evidence of His tender mercy unto men. He hath endowed every soul with the capacity to recognize the signs of God. How could He, otherwise, have fulfilled His testimony unto men, if ye be of them that ponder His Cause in their hearts. He will never deal unjustly with any one, neither will He test a soul beyond its power. 
He, verily, is the Compassionate, the All-Merciful."

Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh

Food for the body:

Sunset and Persian tea

I decided to combine yesterday and today's reflections into one, because I feel like I've reflected on/written about yesterday and today's quotation "By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor." and  "He will never deal unjustly with any one, neither will He test a soul beyond its power." in the first two period posts. 

We're down to the last five days, and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on how everything has been so far. There were definitely a lot of ups and downs. I feel like not eating and not drinking for 12 hours was the easiest part - that's just the tip of the iceberg. The hard part, the bigger test, for me personally was always after sunset. How I'd approach that glass of water... how I preferred to do all my work in the evening (because I'd be afraid to make myself tired during the day)... how I chose to recite the short Fasting prayers every evening before breaking the fast, rather than the long ones (not even once!)...  It will really require a lot more perseverance and discipline for us to keep the "Fasting spirit" beyond those twelve hours and all through the days of our lives.

On the up side, I'm really glad I decided to do this diary again year; if it weren't for this, I don't think I would have read the Writings this much. I know I need to keep this up, because Bahá'u'lláh did instruct us to immerse ourselves in the ocean of His words and recite the verses of God every morning and evening. If I had to pick one theme I found predominant during my Fasting experience so far, it would be the concept of "moderation". Not only did I learn that we are not supposed to physically exaggerate the Fast, but even spiritually! These Fasting days are not meant for us to just sit down and pray, pray, pray... read, read, read,...reflect, reflect, reflect. That's not the point, and we don't transform in isolation. That's not what's expected of us. Take a look at this passage from the Kitab-i-Aqdas, "Take heed lest excessive reading and too many acts of piety in the daytime and in the night season make you vainglorious. Should a person recite but a single verse from the Holy Writings in a spirit of joy and radiance, this would be better for him than reciting wearily all the Scriptures of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Recite ye the verses of God in such measure that ye be not overtaken with fatigue or boredom. Burden not your souls so as to cause exhaustion and weigh them down, but rather endeavour to lighten them, that they may soar on the wings of revealed Verses unto the dawning-place of His signs. This is conducive to nearer access unto God, were ye to comprehend."

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Part 3 scheduled to be published on March 21st