In Honor & In Celebration of life
The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High.
The light which these souls radiate is responsible for the progress of the world and the advancement of its peoples….
Through them the clouds rain their bounty upon men, and the earth bringeth forth its fruit.
…These souls and symbols of detachment have provided, and will continue to provide, the supreme moving impulse in the world of being.
Bahá’u’lláh
Entrance into the Kingdom is through the love of God,
Through detachment, through holiness and chastity,
Through truthfulness, purity, steadfastness,
faithfulness and sacrifice of life.
Bahá’u’lláh
“O Lord!
Open Thou the door.
Provide the means, prepare the way, make safe the path.
That we may be guided to those souls,
whose hearts are prepared for Thy Cause, and that they may be guided to us.
Verily, Thou art the Merciful, the Most Bountiful, the All-Powerful!”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
I give praise to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast awakened me out of my sleep, and brought me forth after my disappearance, �and raised me up from my slumber. I have wakened this morning with my face set toward the splendors of the Daystar of
Thy Revelation, through Which the heavens of Thy power and Thy majesty have been illumined, acknowledging Thy signs, believing in Thy Book, and holding fast unto Thy Cord.
I beseech Thee, by the potency of Thy will and the compelling power of Thy purpose, to make of what Thou didst reveal unto me in my sleep the surest foundation for the mansions of Thy love that are within the hearts of Thy loved ones, and the best instrument for the revelation of the tokens of Thy grace and Thy loving-kindness.�
Do Thou ordain for me through Thy most exalted Pen, O my Lord, the good of this world and of the next. I testify that within�Thy grasp are held the reins of all things. Thou changest them as Thou pleasest. No God is there save Thee, the Strong, the�Faithful.�
Thou art He Who changeth through His bidding abasement into glory, and weakness into strength, and powerlessness into�might, and fear into calm, and doubt into certainty. No God is there but Thee, the Mighty, the Beneficent.�
Thou disappointest no one who hath sought Thee, nor dost Thou keep back from Thee anyone who hath desired Thee. Ordain Thou for me what becometh the heaven of Thy generosity, and the ocean of Thy bounty. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.
�Bahá’u’lláh
He is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful! O God, my God!
Thou seest me, Thou knowest me; Thou art my Haven and my Refuge.
None have I sought nor any will I seek save Thee;
no path have I trodden nor any will I tread but the path of Thy love.
In the darksome night of despair, my eye turneth expectant and
full of hope to the morn of Thy boundless favor and at the hour of dawn my drooping soul is refreshed and strengthened in remembrance of
Thy beauty and perfection. He whom the grace of Thy mercy aideth,
though he be but a drop, shall become the boundless ocean,
and the merest atom which the outpouring of Thy loving-kindness assisteth, shall shine even as the radiant star.
Shelter under Thy protection, O Thou Spirit of purity, Thou Who art the
All-Bountiful Provider, this enthralled, enkindled servant of Thine.
Aid him in this world of being to remain steadfast and firm in Thy love
and grant that this broken-winged bird attain a refuge and shelter in
Thy divine nest that abideth upon the celestial tree.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! Thou seest and knowest that I have called upon Thy servants to turn nowhere except in the direction of Thy bestowals, and have bidden them observe naught save the things Thou didst prescribe in
Thy Perspicuous Book, the Book which hath been sent down according to Thine inscrutable decree and irrevocable purpose.
I can utter no word, O my God, unless I be permitted by Thee, and can move in no direction until I obtain Thy sanction. �It is Thou, O my God, Who hast called me into being through the power of Thy might, and hast endued me with Thy grace� to manifest Thy Cause. Wherefore I have been subjected �to such adversities that my tongue hath been hindered� from extolling Thee and from magnifying Thy glory.
All praise be to Thee, O my God, for the things Thou didst ordain for me through Thy decree and by the power of Thy sovereignty. I beseech Thee that Thou wilt fortify both myself and them that love me in our love for Thee, and wilt keep us firm in Thy Cause. I swear by Thy might! O my God! �Thy servant’s shame is to be shut out as by a veil from Thee, and his glory is to know Thee. Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world’s afflictions can in no wise alarm me.
Send down, therefore, O my Lord, upon me and upon my loved ones that which will protect us from the mischief of those that have repudiated Thy truth and disbelieved in Thy signs.
Thou art, verily, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.��Bahá’u’lláh
Remove not, O Lord, the festal board that hath been spread in Thy Name, �and extinguish not the burning flame that hath been kindled by Thine �unquenchable fire. Withhold not from flowing that living water �of Thine that murmureth with the melody of Thy glory and �Thy remembrance, and deprive not Thy servants from �the fragrance of Thy sweet savors breathing �forth the perfume of Thy love.
Lord! Turn the distressing cares �of Thy holy ones into ease,
their hardship into comfort,
their abasement into glory,
their sorrow into blissful joy,
O Thou that holdest in Thy �grasp the reins of all mankind!
Thou art, verily, the One, the Single,
the Mighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
As we have power to pray for these souls here, so likewise we shall possess the same power in the other world, which is the Kingdom of God. Are not all the people in that world the creatures of God? Therefore, in that world also they can make progress. As here they can receive light by their supplications, there also they can plead for forgiveness and receive light through entreaties and supplications. Thus as souls in this world, through the help of the supplications, the entreaties and the prayers of the holy ones, can acquire development, so is it the same after death. Through their own prayers and supplications they can also progress, more especially when they are the object of the intercession of the Holy Manifestations.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
O Thou, my God! Who guidest the seeker to the pathway that leadeth aright,
Who deliverest the lost and blinded soul out of the wastes of perdition,
Thou Who bestowest upon the sincere great bounties and favors,
Who guardest the frightened within Thine impregnable refuge,
Who answerest, from Thine all-highest horizon, the cry of those who cry out unto Thee.
Praised be Thou, O my Lord! Thou hast guided the distracted out of the death of unbelief,
and hast brought those who draw nigh unto Thee to the journey’s goal,
and hast rejoiced the assured among Thy servants by granting them their most cherished desires,
and hast, from Thy Kingdom of beauty, opened before the faces of those who yearn after Thee the gates of reunion,
and hast rescued them from the fire of deprivation and loss—so that they hastened unto Thee and gained Thy presence,
and arrived at Thy welcoming door, and received of gifts an abundant share.
�O my Lord, they thirsted, Thou didst lift to their parched lips the waters of reunion.�O Tender One, Bestowing One, Thou didst calm their pain with the balm of Thy bounty and grace, �and didst heal their ailments with the sovereign medicine of Thy compassion.
O Lord, make firm their feet on Thy straight path, make wide for them the needle’s eye, �and cause them, dressed in royal robes, to walk in glory for ever and ever.
Verily, Thou art the Generous, the Ever-Giving, the Precious, the Most Bountiful. �There is none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Exalted, the Victorious.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
O Thou Kind Lord! This dearly cherished maidservant was attracted to Thee, and through reflection and discernment longed to attain Thy presence and enter Thy realms. With tearful eyes she fixed her gaze on the Kingdom of Mysteries. Many a night she spent in deep communion with Thee, and many a day she lived in intimate remembrance of Thee. At every morn she was mindful of Thee, and at every eve she centered her thoughts upon Thee. Like unto a singing nightingale she chanted Thy sacred verses, and like unto a mirror she sought to reflect Thy light.�
O Thou Forgiver of sins! Open Thou the way for this awakened soul to enter Thy Kingdom, and enable this bird, trained by Thy hand, to soar in the eternal rose garden. She is afire with longing to draw nigh unto Thee; enable her to attain Thy presence. She is distraught and distressed in separation from Thee; cause her to be admitted into Thy Heavenly Mansion.�
O Lord! We are sinners, but Thou art the Forgiver. We are submerged in the ocean of shortcomings, but Thou art the Pardoner, the Kind. Forgive our sins and bless us with Thine abundant grace. Grant us the privilege of beholding Thy Countenance, and give us the chalice of joy and bliss. We are captives of our own transgressions, and Thou art the King of bountiful favors. We are drowned in a sea of iniquities, and Thou art the Lord of infinite mercy. Thou art the Giver, the Glorious, the Eternal, the Bounteous; and Thou art the All-Gracious, the All-Merciful, the Omnipotent, He Who is the Bestower of gifts and the Forgiver of sins. Verily, Thou art He to Whom we turn for the remission of our failings, He Who is the Lord of lords
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
In loving memory of our beautiful soul, Milena
EXTRA SLIDES
“Refresh”: A Composition by David Tovey
There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to God’s Manifestation in His Day, to hear His verses and believe in them, to attain His presence, which is naught but the presence of God, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits of the paradise of His divine Oneness.
The Báb
O SON OF THE SUPREME! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? �I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?
Bahá’u’lláh: Arabic Hidden Words, #32