‘A convocation of those who love the Lord’ “Do not call it a meeting,” wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá of the Nineteen Day Feast. “Call it a confluence of holy souls; a convocation of those who love the Lord; a retreat for the people of the All-Merciful; a palace-hall for all who sing His praise. For the members of that gathering are each one a lighted taper, and that council a mansion of the moon and stars. It hath been blessed by the Lord of all mankind, and hath made current the Feast as set forth in the Most Holy Book.” This glimpse of the institution of the Nineteen Day Feast offers a sense of what it might become for us, as communities continue the progress they are already making. Let us see if, by looking at the history of this vital institution’s development, we can add, not just to our understanding of the Feast, but maybe to our sense of wonderment as we walk next month into that “mansion of the moon and stars.” In one of its letters the Universal House of Justice takes us back to the Kitáb-i- Aqdas, to the passage in which Bahá’u’lláh ordained the Feast: “It hath been enjoined upon you once a month to offer hospitality, even should ye serve no more than water, for God hath willed to bind your hearts together, though it be through heavenly and earthly means combined.” The Supreme Body continues, “It is clear, then, that the Feast is rooted in hospitality, with all its implications of friendliness, courtesy, service, generosity and conviviality.” When Bahá’ís think about hospitality, we are reminded of the sweet attentiveness the Báb showed Mullá Husayn at their encounter on that long-ago evening when our Faith began. Water was given the weary traveler by his Host, to drink and to wash off the dust of his long road, and food, before the great announcement. Today, pilgrims who visit the Seat of the Universal House of Justice on a hot summer’s day enjoy an echo of that hospitality, and that spiritual turmoil as well, as they are given juice and cookies to make them comfortable before the House of Justice arrives for its visit. And we are reminded of those spiritual feasts of prayer, of ecstasy, during the days in Baghdad, when those who had flocked to Bahá’u’lláh before His Declaration would host each other to evenings of praise, poetry and food. “The joyous feasts,” as the beloved Guardian described in God Passes By, “which these companions, despite their extremely modest earnings, continually offered in honor of their Beloved; the gatherings, lasting far into the night, in which they loudly celebrated, with prayers, poetry and song, the praises of the Báb, of Quddús and of Bahá’u’lláh. …”—these are a part of our heritage. Might we not see in these occasions early glimpses of the Feast’s devotional opening? What if the spirit, described by Nabíl in The Dawn-Breakers, were to breathe over our own devotions: “So intoxicated were those who had quaffed from the cup of Bahá’u’lláh’s presence that in their eyes the palaces of kings appeared more ephemeral than a spider’s web. … The celebrations and festivities that were theirs were such as the kings of the earth had never dreamt of.” “Many a night,” Nabíl continued, “no less than ten persons subsisted on no more than a pennyworth of dates. No one knew to whom actually belonged the shoes, the cloaks, or the robes that were to be found in their houses. Whoever went to the bazaar could claim that the shoes upon his feet were his own, and each one who entered the presence of Bahá’u’lláh could affirm that the cloak and robe he then wore belonged to him. Their own names they had forgotten, their hearts were emptied of aught else except adoration for their Beloved. … O, for the joy of those days, and the gladness and wonder of those hours!” At a later stage, we hear wonderful stories of the Master’s Feasts, especially those He celebrated in the Shrine of the Báb, at a time Bahá’í communities were gradually coming into being. From that precious band of older believers who met Him we hear how ‘Abdu’l- Bahá would chant, and have others chant, prayers and Tablets; would encourage the friends to give talks and recite their poems; and then how He would serve refreshments with His own hand, asking after the happiness and health of each one. His loving-kindness extended, Mr. Aziz Yazdi is fond of recounting, to those absent from the Feast. One time when Mr. Yazdi’s mother was ill, the Master entrusted him with a portion of sweets, caressed the youngster’s cheek and instructed him to give the sweets to his mother with the Master’s loving greetings. At a still later stage, after Local Spiritual Assemblies had come into being, the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, gave us the administrative portion of the Feast, where the faithful and their elected representatives consult on the progress of the Faith and its needs. Hospitality now takes on additional meaning; at the point in time when individuals, community and Assembly join together there is what we might call “revolutionary hospitality,” which is explained this way by the Universal House of Justice: “The very idea of hospitality as the sustaining spirit of so significant an institution introduces a revolutionary new attitude to the conduct of human affairs at all levels, an attitude which is critical to that world unity which the Central Figures of our Faith laboured so long and suffered so much cruelty to bring into being. It is in this divine festival that the foundation is laid for the realization of so unprecedented a reality.” Until next issue, let us reflect together on the power of hospitality to generate love, action, commitment, tender regard for each other, and ultimately to change the nature of human affairs. All passages quoted in the above article are from “Restoring the Spirit— Celebrating the Nineteen Day Feast,” an Assembly Development Module workshop, unless otherwise indicated. Questions and comments are welcome (email development@usbnc.org).