• All Faiths Public Gathering for Prayer and Devotions ~ September 3^rd, 4^th, 18^th, 25^th.
• Informational Talks ~ September 30^th
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~ Bahá'u'lláh

The purpose of the Oxnard-Ventura Bahá'í News is to provide information about the Bahá'í Faith and activities of the Bahá'ís 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

A brief talk on a general topic about the Bahá'í Faith is followed by discussion. A time to bring up any question in your heart about spiritual topics.

Friday, September 30^th, 7:30 PM

Tuman Residence, 984-1222

Dawn Prayers

Join us for dawn prayers, 7 am every Wednesday morning; at the beach at the foot of San Jon/ on Harbor Blvd, followed by a quick trip to the coffee shop.  Call Allison, 653-6011 for more information.

Prayers and Crafts Nights

Thursday, September 22^nd, 6 pm at the Okuma home.  We’ll say prayers at 6 pm, when we finish we’ll do crafts – bring anything you are working on or a craft you’d like to learn.  Bring a friend who night enjoy the evening.  If you’d like, come at 5 pm with food - we’ll eat together too.

Magnified be Thy Name

Prayer forms the foundation of individual spiritual life in most religions. The outward forms of prayer are many and varied, but at its core all prayer seeks to establish a connection between the human soul and a higher power. In the Bahá'í Faith, this is seen as the primary purpose behind prayer:

"Praise be to God, thy heart is engaged in the commemoration of God, thy soul is gladdened by the glad tidings of God and thou art absorbed in prayer. The state of prayer is the best of conditions, for man is then associating with God. Prayer verily bestoweth life, particularly when offered in private and at times, such as midnight, when freed from daily cares."

By cultivating this connection with God, we strengthen our spiritual nature and are assisted in our efforts to acquire perfections. This is the reason God calls us to worship Him, not because our worship is necessary to God, but because it is good for us:

"Far, far from Thy glory be what mortal man can affirm of Thee, or attribute unto Thee, or the praise with which he can glorify Thee! Whatever duty Thou hast prescribed unto Thy servants of extolling to the utmost Thy majesty and glory is but a token of Thy grace unto them, that they may be enabled to ascend unto the station conferred upon their own inmost being, the station of the knowledge of their own selves."

(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, I, p4-5)

Our attitude towards prayer is therefore of great importance. Often, prayer is thought of as little more than asking God to grant some wish or favor, be it as trivial as a new car or as serious as curing a loved one's grave illness. But the Bahá'í Writings place great emphasis on detachment from all save God, and on being content with God's will for us. Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"O son of spirit! Ask not of Me that which We desire not for thee, then be content with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that which profiteth thee, if therewith thou dost content thyself."

(The Hidden Words, Arabic 18, p8)

And the Báb, speaking on the motivation for worship, said:

"The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of God."

The linkage between prayer and action is even stronger than that. In the Bahá'í Faith, work done in the spirit of service is equated with worship:

"Briefly, all effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and to minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer. A physician ministering to the sick, gently, tenderly, free from prejudice and believing in the solidarity of the human race, he is giving praise."

(Paris Talks, p176-177)

So when we rise from prayer and begin to act, we are still engaged in prayer if the spirit that motivates us is right. Our actions become "a prayer that shall rise above words and letters and transcend the murmur of syllables and sounds". Life itself becomes a prayer, and we are then in "the best of conditions."

Used by permission from <planetbahai.org>

All Faiths Public Gathering for Prayer and Devotions

Fillmore CommUnity

1^st Saturday of the Month, September 3^rd Call Luanne at 524-0683 for details

Oxnard CommUnity

1st Sunday of the Month, September 4^th 10:30 AM. Locations May vary. Call Barbara at 984-4390

Camarillo CommUnity

3^rd Sunday of the Month, September 18^th Call Renee at 383-3904 for details.

Ventura CommUnity