Mahmud writes: "Group after group of older and newer believers sadly and tearfully came to see the Master, encircling Him and weeping at His imminent departure. Their hearts were sad and overcome with anguish. They confessed to Him their negligence and shortcomings in serving the Cause and their failure to obey His instructions and begged His assistance and blessings, confirmations and favor.
Today the believers were so overcome by emotion that even a stone would be affected. The anguish of their hearts was so great that all were affected. Indeed, in His presence they bowed and knelt so deeply that one could not distinguish between their heads and their feet.
There were two large meetings this afternoon and evening. One was at the home of Mrs Krug, which was filled with many people who had come just to be in `Abdu'l-Bahá's presence. The Master's talk was this:
He is God! Praise be to God that Mrs Krug has been the cause of your gathering in this meeting where you are engaged in mentioning God and in adducing proofs. I hope that day by day you will become more attracted, become more enlightened and make extraordinary spiritual progress. You should learn from one another so that you may know how to teach the Cause and guide the souls. Your hearts must be so attracted that when a question is heard you will be able to give a conclusive answer and the Holy Spirit may speak through your tongue. You must be assured and confident that the favors and confirmations of the Blessed Beauty will make a drop into an ocean, a seed into a fruitful tree, an atom into a luminous sun and a stone into a brilliant jewel. His favors are great, His treasuries inexhaustible and His bounties infinite. God, Who has bestowed favors upon others, shall surely bestow His favors upon you. I supplicate at the Court of the Almighty and beg that mighty confirmations may surround you, that from your tongues may flow irrefutable proofs and that your hearts become recipients for the splendors of the Sun of Reality. May your thoughts expand and your stations be exalted, so that you may be able to diffuse the fragrances of God and to make prodigious progress in the world of man. Unless a man acquires perfection for himself, he cannot teach others how to attain such perfection; and unless he gets life for himself, he cannot give life to others. We must therefore try first to acquire the bounties of the Kingdom for ourselves and attain life everlasting, and then endeavor to quicken the nations and give life to the world. Thus, we must constantly pray to His Holy Court and seek His eternal bounties. We must acquire pure hearts like unto mirrors, so that the lights of the Sun of Reality may shine. Every night and day we must supplicate to Him and beg for His assistance, saying: `O Lord, we are weak, make us strong; we are ignorant, make us wise. O Lord, we are poor, give us the wealth of the Kingdom. O God, we are dead, bestow upon us everlasting life; we are in utter lowliness, exalt us in Thy Kingdom. Should Thy heavenly confirmations surround us, each one of us can be a luminous star, otherwise we become lower than dust. O God, help us; make us victorious; assist us to overcome self and desire; and deliver us from the world of nature. O God! Quicken us through the breaths of the Holy Spirit so that we may arise to serve Thee, engage ourselves in worshipping Thee and broadcast the signs of Thy Kingdom with utmost truthfulness and sincerity. Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Generous and the Compassionate.
From this meeting the Master went to Mrs Kinney's home. The rush of friends and seekers was greater than ever before and all hearts were aflame. The Master exhorted them to exert their utmost to propagate the divine principles and to diffuse the fragrances of God. He explained the new teachings and the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh. After the meeting, the believers gathered around Him. He bade farewell to each, bestowed His favor upon all and then went upstairs."_________
It is cold, dark, and rainy here--and the weather seems to go along with the grief experienced by the believers on this day in 1912. If this were a film (and we hope to make a befitting film!) this would be the part with the rain falling and the swelling of melancholy music--but also an inspiring, purifying music, rousing the viewer to arise to ever more noble heights, remembering the Master.
I can't believe we are here, two days before the final departure. Since April I have been on this journey every day--and far from letting it go on December 5, I must commit to deeper levels of it! A helpful thing is that I am one of three teachers for the Wilmette Institute leading a course on 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which just started! What timing! Rob Stockman, with his forthcoming book on 'Abdu'l-Bahá in America, and Duane Troxel, with his tireless dedication to scanning photos and other resources, which will soon be available, are the other two faculty members. It's amazing how steeped we are in this journey, and now bonded with 40 others who will be studying the life of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
Not to mention all of the amazing events that are being planning for 2012! So, I will try not to grieve too much for the end of this blog--or rather, for the end of the Master's time in America. If only, though, we could be personally present to gaze into the Master's eyes for a personal farewell. . . . It will have to happen within the heart.
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