The period of the Bahá'í month of Light, Nur, from June 5 until June 24,
was recently celebrated by Bahá'ís throughout the world. Feast on the
first day of each Bahá'í month is a bounty, and one of the primary
Institutions of the Faith. It is a way of connecting with other Bahá'ís,
on an ongoing basis, in celebrating and acknowledging the glories of
God.
Our celebrating the qualities and wonders of light, particularly God’s Light, should be a given in this life, but sadly, is not by the majority of the world’s humans. Most merely accept, unquestioned, the consistency of a period of light each day as a matter of course, never realizing the bounties it signifies. A favorite prayer of mine speaks of God’s Light:
“I have wakened in Thy shelter, O my God, and it becometh him that seeketh that shelter to abide within the Sanctuary of Thy protection and the Stronghold of Thy defense, Illumine my inner being, O my Lord, with the splendors of the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation, even as Thou didst illumine my outer being with the morning light of Thy favor“
--Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations of Bahá'u'lláh
“…with the morning light of Thy favor.” Is it not God’s world that we live in? Is it not His Bounties and His consistency that allows us to awaken each day to a world just as familiar to us as was the previous day? Are not the flowers and creatures of all magnitude designed to flourish through the life-giving substances abounding around us? Is not light one of the primary means of life on this planet?
One of the blessings of our world is that it is contained within a vast Universe of God’s creation that is dominated by a structure of scientific consistency such that we can always count on its familiarity. Now, I will be the first to admit that the universe is continually undergoing changes in composition and structure, but at a pace that we mortals cannot understand, and a pace that does not allow for variations in our expectations of it.
Light, or the lack thereof, is one of the primary properties of the universe. When we think of the sky what do we think of? We think of a vast universe of light. Even in the dark night-time, we know that the stars we see there are but other fixed masses in the complex pattern that only an astronomer can understand, each emitting light and substances that its planets need for existence.
A friend of mine related an interesting story of light. He was born, raised, educated and married in New York City, never leaving its confines until a company transfer to Denver in the mid-seventies. His family loved the new surroundings. The beautiful mountains in the distance were enchanting, and soon, on a Saturday, they drove West on an outing. They were so taken by the scenery that they lingered, and started back to Denver late in the day. When night fell, they were terrified. They had never experienced complete darkness away from the confines of a city. The car’s headlights were little comfort. What if they stalled? What if there were robbers around the next bend? Why was it so dark? This new and unexpected experience was overwhelming to them, based upon their past expectations.
To put it quite simply, light is one of the primary qualities of the universe, “…(the) light of Thy favor.” I daresay that no one in this day and time could have the same experience that my friend had many years ago, but do not we all overlook the obvious? Bahá'u'lláh relates to us in the above prayer that He has illuminating powers for our inner being, as well as the constant and reliable light that surrounds our planet 24 hours a day. Even though it may be night time, we understand that the sun is shining somewhere, and it will again shine on us in the morrow. Yes, within that simple prayer He acknowledges the material light He sends us every day, and more importantly, He allows us to supplicate His bounty of providing the splendors of the Day-Spring of His Revelation for nourishment for our inner being.
Our celebrating the qualities and wonders of light, particularly God’s Light, should be a given in this life, but sadly, is not by the majority of the world’s humans. Most merely accept, unquestioned, the consistency of a period of light each day as a matter of course, never realizing the bounties it signifies. A favorite prayer of mine speaks of God’s Light:
“I have wakened in Thy shelter, O my God, and it becometh him that seeketh that shelter to abide within the Sanctuary of Thy protection and the Stronghold of Thy defense, Illumine my inner being, O my Lord, with the splendors of the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation, even as Thou didst illumine my outer being with the morning light of Thy favor“
--Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations of Bahá'u'lláh
“…with the morning light of Thy favor.” Is it not God’s world that we live in? Is it not His Bounties and His consistency that allows us to awaken each day to a world just as familiar to us as was the previous day? Are not the flowers and creatures of all magnitude designed to flourish through the life-giving substances abounding around us? Is not light one of the primary means of life on this planet?
One of the blessings of our world is that it is contained within a vast Universe of God’s creation that is dominated by a structure of scientific consistency such that we can always count on its familiarity. Now, I will be the first to admit that the universe is continually undergoing changes in composition and structure, but at a pace that we mortals cannot understand, and a pace that does not allow for variations in our expectations of it.
Light, or the lack thereof, is one of the primary properties of the universe. When we think of the sky what do we think of? We think of a vast universe of light. Even in the dark night-time, we know that the stars we see there are but other fixed masses in the complex pattern that only an astronomer can understand, each emitting light and substances that its planets need for existence.
A friend of mine related an interesting story of light. He was born, raised, educated and married in New York City, never leaving its confines until a company transfer to Denver in the mid-seventies. His family loved the new surroundings. The beautiful mountains in the distance were enchanting, and soon, on a Saturday, they drove West on an outing. They were so taken by the scenery that they lingered, and started back to Denver late in the day. When night fell, they were terrified. They had never experienced complete darkness away from the confines of a city. The car’s headlights were little comfort. What if they stalled? What if there were robbers around the next bend? Why was it so dark? This new and unexpected experience was overwhelming to them, based upon their past expectations.
To put it quite simply, light is one of the primary qualities of the universe, “…(the) light of Thy favor.” I daresay that no one in this day and time could have the same experience that my friend had many years ago, but do not we all overlook the obvious? Bahá'u'lláh relates to us in the above prayer that He has illuminating powers for our inner being, as well as the constant and reliable light that surrounds our planet 24 hours a day. Even though it may be night time, we understand that the sun is shining somewhere, and it will again shine on us in the morrow. Yes, within that simple prayer He acknowledges the material light He sends us every day, and more importantly, He allows us to supplicate His bounty of providing the splendors of the Day-Spring of His Revelation for nourishment for our inner being.
Let us all, during this month of Light, reflect on our relationship to the splendors of the Day-Spring of His Revelation, and rejoice in its magnitude.
Hand of the Cause of God David Maxwell
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