Monthly Reflection : Ilm (Knowledge) – On the Twin Holy Days

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It is not the first year, nor is it likely the last, that celebrations for the Twin Holy Days occur during a time of devastating war and violence, of immense human suffering and of divisiveness and disunity.

The current crises have made me rethink of these holy day celebrations as less of an occasion to party, and more of an opportunity to renew my pledge to strive, in my day-to-day actions and my contributions to community life, to build a world free from conflict and oppression. My prayers and acts of service, as humble as they are, are not feeble because they are contributing to a world civilization where such heart-breaking devastation is unthinkable.

Although we didn’t really comprehend it at the time, the latest Studio Sessions we released in the last Baha’i month seem particularly apt. A reminder of the power of unity was sung in Hungarian in Budapest and a prayer for protection was sung by a husband and wife duo in Scotland.

We also heard how love can eradicate racial prejudice; Padma and Wing’s story gives us a small glimmer of what transformations of the heart are possible because of Baha’u’llah’s teachings of equality, love and unity.

And we witnessed a youth share her thoughts on how important the community nurturing children is to help foster spiritual and moral development. Although none of our content directly addressed what is occurring in the world, it is all relevant to the work of building peace and prosperity in all nations.

As I prepare to celebrate the Twin Holy days, some Baha’i Blog resources come to mind such as the dramatically performed audio reading of E. G. Browne’s meeting with Baha’u’llah and Yas’ personal thoughts on the Titles and Station of the Bab, the Harbinger of the Most Great Light. I am also revisiting “Song of Celebration”, a melody originally composed by friends in Ballarat for the bicentenary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah that was produced as a virtual choral project to celebrate the centenary of the Baha’i Faith in Australia. 

This year, as I gather with friends, neighbours and family to honour the Births of the Bab and Baha’u’llah, I’ll continue to pray for a resolution to conflict and discord and promise to redouble my earnest efforts to replace thoughts of war with thoughts of peace.

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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.