| Highlights: |
|
| Oxnard-Ventura Bahá'í |
Newsletter of the Oxnard and Ventura Bahá’í
Communities
March 2004 |
|
"The first and foremost duty
prescribed unto men, next to the recognition of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, is
the duty of steadfastness in His Cause. Cleave thou unto it, and be of them
whose minds are firmly fixed and grounded in God." |
|
|
The purpose of the Oxnard-Ventura Bahá'í News is to provide information about the Bahá'í Faith and activities of the Bahá'í's to those who wish to learn more or attend Bahá'í devotional gatherings. If you have comments or do not want to receive the Bahá'í News, write PO Box 7344, Oxnard, CA 93031, call 648-1222. No donations requested or accepted.
Informational Talks
Wednesday, March 10, 7:30 PM Saturday, March 20, 7:30 PM
Darrell Metcalf is speaking about Spirituality this evening.
Naw Ruz Celebration
Traditionally a
day of celebration, it marks the end of the 19 day period of fasting from
sunrise to sunset, when Bahá'í's set aside time for prayer and meditation. Everyone is invited to a Big Naw Ruz celebration hosted by the Bahá'í's of Fillmore
Saturday, March 20th, 6 PM The Eternal Covenant of God, cont. Since we can only know God through His Manifestations, we can only fulfill the purpose of our lives by recognizing His Manifestation for our day. Those of us who have had the bounty of Accepting Bahá'u'lláh should be grateful to live in a day when all the promises of the past are being fulfilled. |
We should be thankful to God for having bestowed upon us the precious gift of recognizing Bahá'u'lláh at a time when the majority of the earth’s inhabitants are unaware of His glory. Bahá'u'lláh says: "This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness." How sad it would be today if someone were to hear the glad tidings of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, but accept Him not and decide to follow the traditions of the past. He would join those who in every age have hoped for the coming of a Promised One, but when He appeared, have rejected Him and, unfaithful to the Eternal Covenant of God, have clung to their own superstitions. Having accepted Bahá'u'lláh, we must remain constant and firm in His Faith and obey His commandments. We cannot allow the criticisms of the wayward among men to steer us away from the true path we have chosen. We must stay firm and steadfast in the Covenant. Bahá'u'lláh says: "The first and foremost duty prescribed unto men, next to the recognition of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, is the duty of steadfastness in His Cause. Cleave thou unto it, and be of them whose minds are firmly fixed and grounded in God." Our resolve to be firm in the Covenant will grow stronger, if, especially in times of tests, we remember Bahá'u'lláh's life, both His sufferings and His extraordinary victories, and remind ourselves of the unlimited love He had for every human being. Let these words be engraved in our minds and hearts: |
"The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This is of the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish. He Who hath come to build anew the whole world, behold, how they that have joined partners with God have forced Him to dwell with in the most desolate of cities." All Faiths Public Gathering for Prayer and Devotions
Fillmore CommUnity
Oxnard CommUnity
Ventura CommUnity At the home of Jan and Al O’kuma, 312 Redwood Ave, Ventura, 642-0822
Camarillo CommUnity To order Bahá’í books, magazines, or videos, call the Bahá’í Distribution Service at 1-800-999-9019 or email bds@usbnc.org for more details. To learn more about the Bahá’í Faith, contact the Bahá’í House of Worship or the Bahá’í community in your area [link to Contact page coming soon]. Further information is also available at www.us.bahai.org and www.bahai.org. |