"Be calm, be strong, be grateful, and become a lamp full of light, that the darkness of sorrows be annihilated, and that the sun of everlasting joy arise from the dawning-place of heart and soul, shining brightly." ~`Abdu'l-Baha
When virtues are repeated in a single week it is a time to sit up and know that there is a sign being made manifest. A sign to note and learn of a necessity for rightful living. This week is a very special week in the Baha'i Faith. It will end with commemorating the passing of `Abdu'l-Baha. He was the centre to which the Baha'i world was directed to turn after the passing of the Prophet Founder and His Father, Baha'u'llah. `Abdu'l-Baha was designated as the unerring Interpreter of His Father's teachings. We mere mortals need help in understanding spiritual teachings not only by way of explanation but also by physical example. `Abdu'l-Baha was the perfect Exemplar demonstrating for us with perfection, how to embody spiritual qualities. When difficulties face us we ask, what would `Abdu'l-Baha do? Calling Him to mind and thinking how to rise above the conflict, anxiety or chaos and devise a path of peacefulness. This past week the world was gifted with a film, entitled "Exemplar" commissioned by the international governing body, the Universal House of Justice. It beautifully chronicles those milestone moments in `Abdu'l-Baha's life that allow us a glimpse of the mystery that was His life. It enables us to open our hearts to the reality of unity and consider living in a better world. We realise that it will not simply come about but that we have to build it. This is a holy week and will be filled with joy mixed with melancholy as we consider a life that was dedicated so completely to service. To contemplate letting go of those things that we consider so important that we cling tenaciously to them, and that they really do not matter and serve only to complicate life. The simplicity of living that `Abdu'l-Baha espoused is in such contrast to how we live today and no wonder things seem so complicated and difficult. Although even in those times, troubles and strife were all around and touched Him most deeply, what is notable and is perhaps the most important takeaway is how He maintained happiness and calm as He moved through those times, uplifting the hearts of those around Him, tending tirelessly to the poor and downtrodden. Service was not only what he did but a means to remedy those moments of depression. In thinking of how to strengthen peacefulness, it is `Abdu'l-Baha's example to which we turn for inspiration and encouragement. When we look to His practice of peacefulness we hear it in the stories of His visits, His letters to friends, in his kind eyes and the radiance of His person.
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