April 6, 1912 Anticipating New York!

Twelfth day . . . six degrees of longitude . . . the rising and setting in this contingent world. . . .  Anticipation!

Mahmúd writes: Saturday, April 6, 1912 [aboard the Cedric]

While having tea in His cabin `Abdu'l-Bahá gave instructions concerning our arrival in New York City: `We shall reach New York in a few days. We shall stay in hotels at each place and not trouble the believers. However, if meetings are arranged in their homes, it will not matter.' He continued, `Go to the table and have your tea.'

The Master spent the morning writing Tablets until noon and then went to the dining room table. He was asked for guidance about food. He said, `We shall not interfere with their bodily food. Our concern is with spiritual food.'

In the afternoon He invited the Western friends to His presence and related a history of the Cause and the difficulties and persecutions of the early days. One the Tablets revealed today was a long prayer, a Tablet of visitation in honor of Hájí Muhammad-Taqí, the Afnán, and another was a Tablet in His own hand. Regarding this Tablet He summoned us, saying:

Come here and consider this important question. A person from Tihrán has written that the Universal Will is always manifest; that is to say, God is always manifest in human form. I have sent him an emphatic reply and urge you also to remember that between two Manifestations there are days of concealment. There is no doubt that for the Sun of Reality there is no rising or setting in its own sanctified center but, owing to the exigencies of the contingent world, it rises and sets. Those persons who say in the days of concealment and interval that God is manifest in human form and that `He always shows Himself in different forms like an artful beloved' are the sources of difference in the Cause and create discord among the people. All these evasive statements of theirs are mere pretensions. Their only object is to get themselves known as persons in whom divine signs are centered. We must, therefore, adhere to the explicit text, to the literal meaning of what is written in the Tablets, and must not deviate from this even to a hair's breadth.

While walking in the stern of the ship in the afternoon `Abdu'l-Bahá said: `It is the twelfth day of our voyage. We have traveled a quarter of the way around the globe and have traversed six degrees of longitude. Here it is afternoon, while in Egypt it is the middle of the night at this time.'

In the evening some clergymen announced a meeting to observe the crucifixion of Christ. The Master remarked, `Their speeches in the meeting will be to the effect that Christ sacrificed Himself in order to redeem us from our sins. But they do not understand the inner meaning.' After the meeting He spoke extensively on this subject. `The redemption of sins', He said, `depends on our acting upon the admonitions of Christ, and the martyrdom of Christ was to cause us to attain praiseworthy morals and supreme stations.'

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Ah!  So we're not all "saved" just by believing, as many Christians profess!  This theme of attaining praiseworthy morals will be reiterated. Will we ever "get" it? Maybe, here and there. I find the idea a little scary not to deviate from the Holy Word by a hair's breadth. Will have to meditate on this. 


I never thought of traversing degrees of longitude--or latitude for that matter. That is, of course, part of this contingent world as contrasted with the vast arena of spiritual traversing one might do.  'Abdu'l-Bahá must have had a challenge understanding so many spiritual realities yet being around people who understand few of them--and thus needing to couch His explanations in ways people would understand. And in our day, perhaps we understand fewer still, being distracted as we are by so much that is worldly. Yet the Master's words and example are ever more needed. . . .


Food is a theme He will comment on again at Green Acre.  "Food has nothing to do with Faith," He says to an ascetic. Yet on the other side, He will speak at other times about the cure for ailments in the future.  He also makes a comment about how Europeans eat too much and too many rich things.  I think 
He is always helping us to find the balance. 


We (my husband and I, in 2012) are suddenly in New Jersey at a wonderful friend's home.  Tomorrow we'll go into NY to look at locations for filming, with Mark Mamford, who is also steeped in the Centenary. What a gift!  My sabbatical came just at the right time--otherwise, I could not take off.  I think someone in some other realm is helping us. Dare I hope it is the Master Himself?