September 21, 2010

Paragraph 1.48

"O Temple of the Cause! Grieve not if Thou findest none ready to receive Thy gifts. Thou wast created for My sake; occupy Thyself therefore with My praise amidst My servants. This is that which hath been ordained for Thee in the Preserved Tablet. Having found upon the earth many a soiled hand, We sanctified the hem of Thy garment from the profanity of their touch and placed it beyond the reach of the ungodly. Be patient in the Cause of Thy Lord, for erelong shall He raise up souls endowed with sanctified hearts and illumined eyes who shall flee from every quarter unto Thine all-encompassing and boundless grace."

Comments:

• The first thing we notice in this paragraph is the reference to the Manifestation of God, Baha’u’llah, as the “Temple of the Cause.” We have seen in previous paragraphs that Baha’u’llah was addressed a number of times as the “Living Temple” and in Paragraph 1.44 He was equated with the “Temple of God”. We will see in succeeding paragraphs other such powerful references to Baha’u’llah, such as:

o “O Temple of God”
o “O Temple of Holiness”
o “O Temple of My Cause”
o “O Temple of Divine Revelation”
o “O Temple of Divine mysteries”

Each one of these lofty references to the Manifestation of God will require some reflection on our part. For now, let’s explore the one used in this paragraph, namely the “Temple of the Cause”