‘Abdu’l-Bahá and laughter
When we think of the Master as the perfect example, we usually think of virtues like love, generosity, patience, etc… But what do we make of the following account? One day in the Holy Land He told Harlan Ober, an […]
2013
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and fasting
The Fast (2-20 March) is a very special time of the year for Bahá’ís, during which we do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. However, the significance of this period goes beyond the giving up of physical nourishment, […]
2012
Biography: Marion Jack
I grew up hearing the story of “General Jack” – the name ‘Abdu’l-Bahá used to call Marion Jack — and how, at the end of her life and in spite of the danger of living in Bulgaria during the Second […]
Biography: Phoebe Hearst
When I visited the House of Abdullah Pashá in ‘Akká as a pilgrim, I reflected on the importance of that first group of pilgrims from the West who were the guests of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in that beautiful house. It was a […]
Biography: Fred Mortensen
On the night of August 20th 1912, a man covered from head to foot with soot arrived at Green Acre hoping for an opportunity to meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; his name was Fred Mortensen. His story is an example of how a […]
2012
Unity Feast in Englewood
While getting ready for my first nineteen day feast in my new hometown, I thought of the Unity feast in held Englewood on June 29th, 1912. I can only imagine how the friends must have felt when preparing themselves for […]
2012
The Springtime of Manifestation
The reality of the Manifestations of God is one of the recurrent themes in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talks to the West. After reading His talk of June 23rd, I remembered several conversations I had regarding this topic, and how often I heard […]
Talk to the International Peace Forum
World Peace is defined as “an idea of planetary non-violence by which nations willingly cooperate, either voluntarily or by virtue of a system of governance that prevents warfare”. How narrow is our vision of such a noble goal, the mission […]
Dedication of the Mother Temple of the West
A hundred years ago on May 1st, “‘Abdu’l-Bahá, standing before an audience several hundred strong, lifted a workman’s axe and pierced the turf covering the Temple site at Grosse Pointe, north of Chicago”. This day was extremely important for the […]
2012
The Sinking of the Titanic
Within the last few days a terrible event has happened in the world, an event saddening to every heart and grieving every spirit. I refer to the Titanic disaster, in which many of our fellow human beings were drowned, a […]