Browsing Category "Spiritual Qualities"
19 Dec
2011
By
Comments Off on Paris Talks Revisited: The Relation Between Man and God
Paris Talks Revisited: The Relation Between Man and God

Paris Talks Revisited: The Relation Between Man and God

What is the relation between man and God?  I find this to be a ‘big’ question because, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains, God is the Infinite, the Unknowable: Things which are understood by men cannot be outside their capacity for understanding, so […]

16 Dec
2011
Paris Talks Revisited: Beauty and Harmony in Diversity

Paris Talks Revisited: Beauty and Harmony in Diversity

I wonder how ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talk on the 28th of October 1911 stood in contrast with the widespread and generally accepted nationalistic and racist ideas of the time. While we have made progress since then in letting go such ideas, the ways […]

8 Dec
2011
Paris Talks Revisited: The Two Natures in Man

Paris Talks Revisited: The Two Natures in Man

As humans, we are, or should be, well-accustomed to the two sides of a coin. Objective and subjective; literal and figurative; justice and mercy – these are a few examples of dual processes that surround our lives. This is not […]

23 Nov
2011
Paris Talks: The Perfect Human Sentiments and Virtues

Paris Talks: The Perfect Human Sentiments and Virtues

The Heavenly Father gave the priceless gift of intelligence to man so that he might become a spiritual light, piercing the darkness of materiality, and bringing goodness and truth into the world. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made this striking remark in a talk […]

22 Nov
2011
By
Comments Off on Paris Talks: Pain and Sorrow
Paris Talks: Pain and Sorrow

Paris Talks: Pain and Sorrow

“Take thou the step of the spirit,” Bahá’u’lláh wrote in 1861, “so that, swift as the twinkling of an eye, thou mayest flash through the wilds of remoteness and bereavement …” (The Book of Certitude, p.43). Fifty years later, on […]

19 Nov
2011
Paris Talks: Working for the Betterment of the World

Paris Talks: Working for the Betterment of the World

This talk by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, given on November 19, 1911, emphasizes and further defines the purpose of a Bahá’í, and provides a general recipe for the time designated and known by Bahá’ís as the Most Great Peace. He lays out an […]

15 Nov
2011
Paris Talks: Spiritual Aspiration in the West

Paris Talks: Spiritual Aspiration in the West

In the West, we aspire for many things. A young child aspires to grow up to be an astronaut, doctor, lawyer, or a professional athlete. A mother aspires to raise her children to be strong contributing members of society. A […]

20 Sep
2011
The Language of the Master

The Language of the Master

It goes without saying that the Master communicated the principles of the Bahá’í Faith through His actions whilst in the West: generosity, for example, was articulated when coins were placed in the hands of destitute men at the Bowery Mission […]

27 Aug
2011
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Example of Forgiveness

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Example of Forgiveness

An excerpt from Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá p 51-52: In 1911 the Master spent a few quiet days in the French Alps, presumably to rest, before continuing to London. Here took place a remarkable encounter which illustrates the […]