Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas Part 58

O maid-servant of G.o.d! It is inc.u.mbent upon thee to be severed from the desires of the world, and it is inc.u.mbent upon thee to be attracted to the Supreme Kingdom. At that time thou wilt become fluent in tongue and thou wilt speak in most eloquent words through the confimation of the Holy Spirit. This is that gift which the Lord of Heaven hath promised.

"O thou who dost believe in the Spirit of Christ, in the..."

O thou who dost believe in the Spirit of Christ, in the Kingdom of G.o.d!

The body is composed, in truth, of corporeal elements and every composition is necessarily subject to decomposition; but the spirit is an essence, simple, pure, spiritual, eternal, perpetual and divine. He who seeketh Christ from the point of view of His body hath, in truth, debased Him and hath gone astray from Him; but he who seeketh Christ from the point of view of His Spirit will grow from day to day in joy, attraction, zeal, proximity, perception and vision.

Thou hast then to seek the Spirit of Christ in this marvelous day. The heaven whither Christ ascended is not an infinite s.p.a.ce. His heaven is much rather the kingdom of His Lord, the Munificent. As He said, "The Son of Man is in heaven." It is known then that His heaven is beyond the boundaries that surround existence and that He is elevated for the people who adore.

Pray G.o.d to ascend to this heaven, to taste of its food-and know thou that the people have not understood to this day the mystery of the Holy Scriptures. They believe that Christ was deprived of His heaven when He was in this world, that He had fallen from the heights of His elevation and that later He ascended to this elevated pinnacle-that is to say, towards the heaven which doth not exist, for there is only s.p.a.ce. They expect that He will descend from this heaven seated upon a cloud. They believe that there is in the heavens a cloud upon which He will be seated and by which He will descend; while, in reality, the clouds are vapors which rise from the earth and which do not descend from the heavens. The cloud mentioned in the Holy Scriptures is the human body, because it is a veil for them, like a cloud, which prevents them from seeing the Sun of Truth which is s.h.i.+ning in the horizon of Christ.

I pray G.o.d to open before your face the gates of revelation and of vision in such a way that thou shalt learn the mysteries of G.o.d in this known day.***

"O ye who are considering the Kingdom of your august..."

O ye who are considering the Kingdom of your august Savior!

I know the ardor which enflames you both(132) with the desire to present yourselves in the Sacred Place and I desire, also, to see you both. But my Lord hath a supreme wisdom and His wisdom hath required the imprisonment of Abdul-Baha and the prevention of visits of impa.s.sioned friends. It is a temporary condition that will pa.s.s away in the future. In the meantime I shall remember you in my heart and I love you with a holy affection that is spiritual, divine, eternal and perpetual; that is founded on the surest base and on the most durable of foundations. I pray G.o.d to remove all the veils and to illumine your hearts with lights s.h.i.+ning from the Supreme Horizon, in such a manner that the light of guidance shall move before you and that your hearts shall dilate in perceiving great signs. Turn towards California with a luminous face, a joyous soul, an attracted heart, an enlightened spirit, an eloquent speech and a radiant expression. In those regions G.o.d will, through you, become the guide of many people.

"O ye two singing birds in the Garden of Belief!..."

O ye two(133) singing birds in the Garden of Belief!

I have read your letter in which you confess the Unity of G.o.d and the grandeur of His reign, and in which you make known that you have been attracted by the perfumes of G.o.d and that you have bathed in the sea of knowledge. Thank G.o.d for that! I pray G.o.d to strengthen your steps in the straight road, to preserve you from violent tests, in making of you two green and fruitful trees in His great vineyard, to the end that ye may arrive at a favor that shall make of you two elected ones in the court of the august Lord. Appreciate this favor and give thanks to your Savior that He hath heaped upon you this great kindness.

"O thou who art turning unto the Kingdom of G.o.d!..."

O thou who art turning unto the Kingdom of G.o.d!

Thy letter is received and perused. It afforded us joy and pleasure, gave us good news and is the token of the wealth of thy love. This period of time is the Promised Age, the a.s.sembling of the human race to the "Resurrection Day" and now is the great "Day of Judgment." Soon the whole world, as in springtime, will change its garb. The turning and falling of the autumn leaves is past; the bleakness of the winter time is over. The new year hath appeared and the spiritual springtime is at hand. The black earth is becoming a verdant garden; the deserts and mountains are teeming with red flowers; from the borders of the wilderness the tall gra.s.ses are standing like advance guards before the cypress and jessamine trees; while the birds are singing among the rose branches like the angels in the highest heavens, announcing the glad-tidings of the approach of that spiritual spring, and the sweet music of their voices is causing the real essence of all things to move and quiver.

O my spiritual friend! Dost thou know from what airs emanate the notes sung by those birds? They are from the melodies of peace and reconciliation, of love and unity, of justice and security, of concord and harmony. In a short time this heavenly singing will intoxicate all humanity; the foundations of enmity shall be destroyed; unity and affection shall be witnessed in every a.s.sembly; and the lovers of the love of G.o.d at these great festivals shall behold their splendor.

Therefore, contemplate what a spirit of life G.o.d hath given that the the body of the whole earth may attain life everlasting! The Paradise of El-Abha will soon spread a pavilion from the pole-star of the world, under whose shelter the beloved shall rejoice and the pure hearts shall repose in peace.

"O ye two pilgrims of the Holy Shrine!..."

O ye two(134) pilgrims of the Holy Shrine!

The news of your protected and safe arrival in Paris, France, reached here and made me glad and happy. The news expressed the love and devotion of the beloved of Paris, who met you with the greatest joy and cheerfulness, and who are themselves in love, peace and harmony.

You shall openly declare all the signs of the Kingdom that you say with you own eyes and shall suggest with greatest joy and happiness all the divine teachings that you heard. I ask and supplicate G.o.d to make you to convinced souls, to bring you forth with such a steadfastness that each of you may withstand the people of a country, and to intoxicate you with the wine of the love of G.o.d so that you may cause your hearers to dance, to be joyful and to exult.

This is the time of happiness; it is the day of cheerfulness and exhilaration. For, praise to G.o.d, all the doors are opened through the bounty of the Glorious Beauty. But one must show forth perseverance and self-devotion and consecrate his thoughts, until the tree of hope may give fruit and produce consequences.

"O ye two lamps of the Love of G.o.d!..."

O ye two(135) lamps of the Love of G.o.d!

Your letter to ........ was read and its contents considered. Its meanings expressed the feelings of spiritual hearts and emanated from the spring of the conscience. This is from the bounty of the Kingdom of Abha. I hope that this drop will increase and grow and become like unto an ocean; that your faith, certainty and love toward G.o.d may grow, that your light may increase, that ye may become heavenly and that ye may receive aid and confirmation at every moment, spreading the Word of G.o.d and promulgating His religion.

"O thou respectful soul!..."

O thou respectful soul!

Thy letter with its great and expressive contents gave me satisfaction. It gave utterance to the feelings of thy heart and to thy contentment. Thy going to California was for the best. I hope that it will give great results; that through thee the ignorant will receive knowledge, the blind will gain sight, the deaf will hear, the dumb will speak, the negligent will awaken, the heedless will receive intelligence. If thou arisest as it must and should be in the service of the Cause, the divine a.s.sistance will direct and the heavenly, everlasting help will continue. I hope that thou will be a.s.sisted to the intention which thou hast in thy heart.

"O thou faithful maid-servant of G.o.d!..."

O thou faithful maid-servant of G.o.d!

What thou has written me hath been seen. Indeed thou belongest to the Kingdom and thou turnest towards the Horizon of Abha. I ask from the bounty of G.o.d that thou mayest be enflamed day by day more and more by the fire of the love of G.o.d.

It seems that thou wast uncertain whether to occupy thyself in writing or in delivering the tidings of the Cause of G.o.d. In these days, to deliver the glad-tidings is the best of all. Open then thy tongue to the guidance of the human race on any occasion that presents itself.

Thou hast asked about knowledge and cognition. Read the divine books and tablets and look into he books of proofs that have been written in presenting this Cause. One of them is the Book of Ighan(136), which is translated into English. There is also the book(137) by Mirza Abul Fazl and there are others written by the believers. In the time to come, many divine books and tablets will be translated and thou wilt read them; but thou mayest ask G.o.d that thou mayest attract divine knowledge by the magnet of the love of G.o.d. When the soul becomes sanctified in every condition and becomes pure and holy, then the door of the divine knowledge will be opened to the face.