30. O SON OF MAN!
Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for his face is My face; be then abashed before Me. (Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)
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Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (King James Bible, Matthew)
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.
Let us make this a year of good deeds in His Name, amen.
29. 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 unto thee, do thou observe it.
(Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)
The Golden Rule exists in every truly spiritual path. It is restated again and again by the Prophets of God, the Blessed Ones Who teach us how to live, how to love, how to interact with one another.
“Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you,” Christ’s words.
ascribe = to tribute to a source or cause; or, to make undue claims to having.
In other words, do not claim that something, some action, some words, come from some other person, if you would not want that being said about yourself. Leave them to God. Leave them to themselves to contemplate their own actions. ESPECIALLY do not do this, if they are undue claims, in other words, when they are not even true.
I especially like the second part of Baha’u’llah’s “Golden Rule”. Say not that which thou doest not. In other words, WALK THE WALK, do what you say you will do, don’t just talk about it. Everyone has words. What the world needs is sincerity in action. He commands us to do this, then tells us to observe it. Very powerful.
I have been slowly posting entries from Baha’u’llah’s book, “The Hidden Words.” They are little meditative gems, which He says are the “essence” of the spiritual truths in all religions. There are a total of nearly 125. Here are numbers 27 & 28:
27. O SON OF MAN!
Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness.
28. O SON OF SPIRIT!
Know thou of a truth: He that biddeth men be just and himself committeth iniquity is not of Me, even though he bear My name.
(Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)
* These 2 brief entries are amazing in many ways. First, we are admonished to not talk about others’ “sins” – things they are doing wrong – while we ourselves are the same. In other words, we are all sinners, we all commit things we shouldn’t. (Story of Christ telling all those ready to stone the prostitute to death, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,” and they all walked away.)
Second part to that one is rather strong – who would want to be accursed? especially, by He Whom you adore?
Second reading: Don’t be a hypocrit. And a name don’t mean nothin’ if you don’t DO as you SAY. “You are not of Me.”
Live your life pure. Sincere. Honest. No regrets. Very hard to do. But worth the pain. I sound dramatic but it’s actually just true.
26. O SON OF BEING!
How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.
(Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)
There is nothing worse than being at a community meeting that turns into a complaint session. We are to be loving friends to one another, even to the point of giving our LIVES for one another! People also pick & choose which laws to focus on, that other people seem to be breaking. In the Baha’i Faith, backbiting is forbidden. So when someone asks you, as a Baha’i, what is forbidden in the Baha’i Faith? I’d like our first answer to be: Backbiting, talking about other people behind their backs, that’s what is forbidden.
O SON OF SPIRIT!
Vaunt not thyself over the poor,
for I lead him on his way
and behold thee in thy evil plight
and confound thee for evermore.
–Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words
(photo from Corbis Images at borgenproject.org)
23. O SON OF THE SUPREME!
To the eternal I call thee, yet thou dost seek that which perisheth. What hath made thee turn away from Our desire and seek thine own?
24. O SON OF MAN!
Transgress not thy limits, nor claim that which beseemeth thee not. Prostrate thyself before the countenance of thy God, the Lord of might and power.
(Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)
It seems strange that we would turn away from something that lasts eternal, and desire something that is doomed to perish. No one would do that if they could tell the difference. The eternal is a mystery that none can explain. It simply is what it is. And yet there is another part of our being that can appear to be the most reliable, can take over and keep us so busy that we keep the eternal part at bay. I think that anyone can feel that eternal part. It appears when one lights a candle and becomes lost in its beauty. It professes its existence in a sunrise or sunset, those times that in themselves are the bridge to another time. Darkness becomes morning, the sun later moves beyond our reach to another part of the world. There is a moment when time ceases to exist, when we are caught in between this stage and the next and are aware of the beauty of it.
There are times when every person is aware, there is something beyond ourselves. There is something unexplainable, and we must be at peace with that. All is not logic and proven by mathematical formula.
The second verse — when there is that understanding of a Power greater than ourselves, then our happiest moments are in recognizing our station, being at peace with ourselves and realizing we do not have to figure everything out, or know it all. Yes, we have a mind and a spirit and the Greater Power, whatever we call it, expects us to use them. But there is a love of Him for Who He is, an expression of love (prayer) a desire to be closer to Him/Her/It, and prostration of our whole being before the Lord our God in thankfulness.
23. O SON OF THE SUPREME!
To the eternal I call thee, yet thou dost seek that which perisheth. What hath made thee turn away from Our desire and seek thine own?
(Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)
21. O SON OF MAN!
Upon the tree of effulgent glory I have hung for thee the choicest fruits, wherefore hast thou turned away and contented thyself with that which is less good? Return then unto that which is better for thee in the realm on high.
22. O SON OF SPIRIT!
Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created.
(Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)
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?
20. O SON OF SPIRIT!
My claim on thee is great, it cannot be forgotten. My grace to thee is plenteous, it cannot be veiled. My love has made in thee its home, it cannot be concealed. My light is manifest to thee, it cannot be obscured.
This one means a lot to me tonight.
18. O SON OF SPIRIT!
Ask not of Me that which We desire not for thee, then be content with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that which profiteth thee, if therewith thou dost content thyself.
(Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)
Doctor Grandma 