This blog contains responses to blog prompts, & thoughts on spiritual or religious themes |
Disclaimer: Any views, about religion or sacred scriptures, expressed in this blog are my own and not the official views of the Baha'i Faith or any other religion. If you wish to know more about the Baha'i Faith, please check one of these websites: The Baha'i Faith: The Official Website of the Worldwide Baha'i Community or Baha'is of the United States . "The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers." Abdu'l-Baha1 Other Blogs and Journals Content Rating 18+ "Writing in Snow" "The Snowflake Chronicles" "Snow Melt" "More Snow Melt" "Welcome to My Life" "Melting Snow" "Memories of Snow" "Dreams of Snow " "Poem Experiments" "Devotional Poetry" Other Journals Content Rating ASR "Bicentenary Poems and Prose" "Treasures lie hidden beneath the throne of God; the key to those treasures if the tongue of poets." The Bab "O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law. Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord." Bahá’u’lláh2 Footnotes |
Kamál (Perfection), 11 ‘Aẓamat (Grandeur) 176 B.E. - Monday, May 27, 2019
PROMPT: Today is Memorial Day here in the US, a federal holiday for remembering and honoring persons who have died while serving in the Armed Forces. How do you honor those who have passed (whether they served in the military or not)? I believe the best way to honor those who have passed is to say a prayer for the progress of their souls. Death is not the end, it only separates the soul from the body. After the separation, the soul ascends into the spiritual world where it will progress toward the Unknowable Creator. Saying a prayer for the progress of the soul of the departed helps that person's soul advance in the spiritual world. It also, I suspect, helps heal the wounds inflected upon the soul during its sojourn with the physical plane. A Soul Speaks From the Spiritual Dimension Please pray for me, ask the All-Glorious Creator, to show mercy rather than justice and forgive my sins. A few days ago, I made an entry in "Writing in Snow" titled "Prayer fo the Departed, Memorial Day Thoughts, etc." . I made the entry after reading the article No Bad Guys on Memorial Day by David Langness, who was a combat medic in Vietnam. On Memorial Day, and any other time of year, we focus so much on honoring those killed in war, t hat we don't consider what war did to soldiers who returned alive. Indeed, we don't even consider what war did to the souls of those who died, who paid the price of freedom. How can we honor those who gave their lives in war? We can do more than just pause at 3:00 pm today for a moment of silence. A moment of silence, unless accompanies by a prayer, doesn't help those who died in combat. Putting flowers and flags on their tombstones doesn't help them either, but it makes us feel better. We can honor the departed soldiers by helping their buddies who returned with physical, mental, and spiritual wounds from combat. We can help by asking "What we can I do for you?" instead of just choosing to something that makes us comfortable. |