Theme: Love of God – Part III

Love is the path to a life of bliss, after meeting with the beloved of the heart. But not everyone can reach this goal. Why?

If you did not get a chance to read part I and part II of this blog post, the links are:

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/02/theme-love-of-god-part-i.html.

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/03/theme-love-of-god-part-ii.html

Devotion

Should there be ignited in thy heart the burning brand of the love of God, thou wouldst seek neither rest nor composure, neither laughter nor repose, but wouldst hasten to scale the highest summits in the realms of divine nearness, sanctity, and beauty. (Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 14)

All the hatred, the rejection, the iniquity, and the unbelief that He witnesseth serve but to strengthen His love for God, to augment the yearning of His heart, to heighten the exultation of His soul, and to fill His breast with passionate devotion. (Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 56)

Deeper Learning

 Love has been given a lot of attention not only in religion.  It has been a well-studied and researched subject throughout history. Writers, philosophers, poets, scientists and educators have given much thought and time to exploring love and its many implications. Shakespeare, the renowned English playwright’s most famous romantic work was Romeo and Juliet, which celebrates the passion of two young lovers. In the East there is a similar love story called Laila and Majnun.  Countless novels, paintings and poems are dedicated to love. Somewhere in the plot of every Hollywood and Bollywood movies lies a love story. The Taj Mahal, a mausoleum renowned worldwide for its architectural magnificence and aesthetic beauty, built by Shah Jahan, an emperor of 17^th century India, symbolizes the everlasting love he had for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Millions visit it annually.

The following story is an example of love between a daughter and father. A man punished his three-year old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. He yelled at her, “Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside of it?” The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Daddy it's not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy.” The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and begged her for forgiveness. He kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. In a very real sense, each of us has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses. There is not a more precious possession anyone could have.

Human love comes in many shades. There is romantic love, love for your country and love for your religion. Love drives passion in us, but it can be blind. It can betray us and lead us onto a wayward path, leading to destruction. Worse of all, when love has gone wild it is an obstacle in the spiritual path. Love has led many to violence, disagreement and disunity. Passion is a good thing but it must be tempered with cool-mindedness.

What is the highest expression of love? In my opinion, it is sacrifice. It is an act of giving a prized possession for the sake of something that has a higher or more pressing claim. Religious rituals and traditions are filled with many examples of worshippers offering goods to God. In the Bible, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice His son, Isaac. Obedient to this divine request, the prophet traveled with his son for three days until he reached the spot that God directed Him towards. Just as Abraham was about to sacrifice His son, he was prevented by an angel: a ram appeared, which he sacrificed instead of his son.  

When Bahá’u’lláh, His family and followers were confined in prison in Akka, His son Mirza Mihdi used to pray on the roof, pacing back and forth as he chanted. One evening he was so immersed in prayer that he fell through the open skylight and was fatally wounded. In the face of death, his Father asked him if he would like to be cured of his injuries. However, Mirza Mihdi’s wished to sacrifice His life so that the authorities would allow the pilgrims, who travelled from afar to see Bahá’u’lláh, to attain their hearts desire. The death of Mirza Mihdi, also known as The Purest Branch, was regarded by Bahá'u'lláh as His own sacrifice.

A lover’s greatest desire is to sacrifice for his Beloved. When this yearning is fulfilled, the insistent self evaporates in the face of a higher Being. This is bliss. The love and sacrifice that the Manifestations of God demonstrate to their Creator are the best examples history can provide. The lives of Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Christ, Muhammad, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh are all sterling examples of love and sacrifice. The Báb, Who was martyred in a public square in Iran, longed to shed His blood for His Beloved. He said:

"O Remnant of God, I am wholly sacrificed to Thee; I am content with curses in Thy way; I crave naught but to be slain in Thy love; and God the Supreme sufficeth as an Eternal Protection." (‘Abdu'l-Bahá, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 4)

It is my hope that this very brief presentation on the love of God will cause us to consider how this love influences our lives. In the next few blogs, we will discover how the love of God cannot exist in one’s heart without faith.

Reflection

The Bahá’i Faith aims to bring about the unity of mankind. The dynamic that exists between love and unity is worthy of exploration:  “The more love is expressed among mankind and the stronger the power of unity, the greater will be this reflection and revelation, for the greatest bestowal of God is love. Love is the source of all the bestowals of God. Until love takes possession of the heart no other divine bounty can be revealed in it.” (‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Baha’i World Faith – ‘Abdu'l-Bahá Section, p. 218)

Deeds (path of service)

Occupy thyself, during these fleeting days of thy life, with such deeds as will diffuse the fragrance of Divine good pleasure, and will be adorned with the ornament of His acceptance. (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 76)

One of the good deeds that will meet the criteria of “Divine good please” is to help bring about the unity of mankind. I think love of God is the greatest tool in achieving this goal. What do you think?

Post links are:

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/03/theme-love-of-god-part-ii.html

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/02/theme-love-of-god-part-i.html

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/02/theme-knowledge-of-god-part-iii.html

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/02/theme-knowledge-of-god-part-ii.html

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/02/theme-knowledge-of-god-part-i.html

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/01/theme-higher-spiritual-goals.html

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/01/theme-cultivating-healthy-spiritual_24.html

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/01/theme-cultivating-healthy-spiritual.html

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2013/01/theme-spiritual-birth-part-ii.html

http://3-d-project.blogspot.ca/2012/07/theme-spiritual-birth-part-i-theme.html