Monthly Reflection: Masa’il (Questions) – On Tests & Difficulties

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I struggled to find a theme that tied together our recent content on Baha’i Blog…and struggle ended up being the theme for the month!

Most recently, we shared a video produced by FUNDAEC (the Foundation for the Application and Teaching of Science), a pioneering educational endeavour from Colombia. The film, titled Weaving Paths, was created as FUNDAEC celebrates its 50th anniversary, and it offers us “living stories—where learning becomes an act of service and education becomes a vibrant thread connecting generations, regions, and aspirations.” The film’s reflections include struggles and challenges that have provided, and continue to provide, opportunities for learning and growth.

This month, we also published a piece by Susan Gammage called “A Love Letter from God”. Susan’s ever-evolving understanding of what it means to be loved by God was born from overcoming unspeakable hardships. In her article she pulls together some of her favourite passages from the Writings of Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha that speak to how much we are loved by God. The end result is deeply touching.

In times of difficulties, we turn towards God for aid and assistance. In our most recent Studio Session, Enrique, Alicia and Danial sing the following passage of Baha’u’llah in Spanish:

He, verily, will aid everyone that aideth Him, and will remember everyone that remembereth Him. To this beareth witness this Tablet that hath shed the splendor of the loving-kindness of your Lord, the All-Glorious, the All-Compelling. 

In terms of content that Baha’i Blog didn’t make but that we were happy to add to our video section this month, we featured a short talk given by Baha’i actor, author and activist Rainn Wilson. In it, Rainn described feeling the sacred–feeling the power of God–during a crisis and time of intense difficulty. (On a separate but related note, Naysan also interviewed Rainn this month about the Soul Boom Workbook: Spiritual Tools for Modern Living that was created to bring people together and foster community).

The other video we curated is not by a Baha’i but is by the Persian American actor Arian Moayed, who spoke at the One Planet Summit, a Baha’i-inspired American conference that brings together leaders and visionaries to bridge business and spiritual insight, to inspire real-world solutions and elevate business to serve humanity. Arian talked about Waterwell, a civic-minded organization of artists and educators, whose works are based on the troubles and challenges that we have on a societal level.

In exploring tests and difficulties that are community or society-wide, and in returning to content we’ve made in-house, this month we shared an image carousel all about His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II. The facts we presented were all found in the latest volume of The Baha’i World. I was struck by the point about Samoa’s political stability and the Malietoa’s role in its tranquility during times of tension.

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Lastly, while all the resources above are recent additions to Baha’i Blog, exploring the theme of tests is something we’ve been working on for some time and we have an entire collection dedicated to health, healing and overcoming difficulties. We hope you find its resources helpful.

Happy Month of Questions!

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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.